Kohola

Aloha, My name is Chris...

This is Mike...

And Annie...

Anna...

And Drew...

We are a team of young marine naturalists that have a passion for the ocean. Our jobs are to spark conservation through inspiration. We take hundreds of people out on the water every day and show them why these fish, corals, whales, dolphins, and turtles are worth protecting and why this ocean is worth saving.

We are a mix of experienced educators, National Geographic Explorers, award winning filmmakers, published photographers, master captains, and whale experts. This season our goal is to pool our own individual talents and create one team whose purpose is to document an event so rare that even in this day and age no one knows anything about it.

Under permit number 20993 we are going to film the birth of a Humpback Whale. This is where we need your help. Our marine naturalist day jobs don't exactly break the bank and since this is a real grassroots project, most of the funding so far is from our own pockets.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has given us a permit that allows us to get within the federally regulated 100 yard required distance in order to get the shots we need. This was the first permit of this kind to have been issued since the whales were removed from the endangered species list.

We have also been awarded a small grant from the National Geographic Society to make this discovery possible giving us the credibility and support that comes with the name Nat Geo. Unfortunately, this is not enough to fund the whole film, which is why we are reaching out to the GoFundMe community.

The money we raise will go towards getting us out on the water and acquiring innovative technology like underwater drones and other top of the line camera gear to capture groundbreaking footage. Since Maui is an expensive place to live, any help will be greatly appreciated.

With your donations we can dive deeper, go further, and stay longer giving us the edge we need to film the impossible.

We have the support of National Geographic. The industry leading dive company, Mares, is sponsoring us as well. They outfitted each one of our team members with brand new, top of the line, free diving equipment. Maui Jim and Naish both are on board with this project. But most importantly the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal branch of the United States government has approved this project.

We aren't just looking for a free hand out we want to partner with people who believe the ocean is worth protecting. If you think you're that type of person then this project needs your support. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Every great success story must showcase the next generation. However, in the last half century, researchers, filmmakers, and conservationists have yet to witness a birth of the North Pacific Humpback Whale.

One of the most biologically significant events in any animal’s life is still a big mystery to us. The goal of this film is to, for the first time ever, capture a birth of the poster animal for the conservation movement.

With that footage as the center piece, we can tell their story.

It's story of a sentient being's epic battle to prove to the world that is has every right to call this pale blue dot its home. The North Pacific Humpback Whale was hunted to the brink of extinction. The early ‘70s brought us close to no return; only about 500 of these whales were left in the entire North Pacific. Fewer than 50 years later, we are looking at a population closer to 25,000. In less than one lifetime, we have witnessed one of the greatest success stories in conservation history—one that finally culminated in August 2016 when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finally removed the North Pacific Humpback Whale from the endangered species list.

Thanks to the compassion and empathy of the same species that brought these whales into the darkness, a veil has been lifted revealing a bright future.

KOHOLA is not just a tale of love, death, and perseverance, but also one of immense hope. It’s a story that can ignite a revolution. The popular conversations of the day are those of doom and gloom, death, and destruction, with stories of success and inspiration going unnoticed. But today, more than ever, we need reasons to feel hopeful and inspired.

KOHOLA, the Hawaiian word for whale, is a story that needs to be told. The Hawaiian culture is rooted deep in environmental consciousness. Regarding the natural world; respect, balance, and subsistence are the cornerstones to their beliefs. This story shows us what happens when we stray too far from this philosophy, but still come together in time to correct our actions. It is physical proof that we can make a difference. It doesn’t happen overnight, but change can happen in our lifetime.

Whether we choose to accept it or not we are all fighting in an environmental rebellion and you know what they say about rebellions... they're built on hope.

If we can bring back a species from the brink of an extinction--an extinction that we designed for a lifestyle that was, is, and forever will be outdated and barbaric--then you better believe there is hope.

We need the ocean for our survival, but, for the first time in the history of this planet, the ocean needs us too.

A new wave of conservation has started... One that demands action. One that is driven by hope and one that continues to go green, but, at its core, will always be blue. -----------------------------------------------------------------------