Meet the project creator
Emily McCulliss
01
The photographer
Emily is an international wildlife photographer, expedition guide, and the creator of Maui Whales & Ocean Tales — a permitted project documenting this whale season, December 2026 – April 2027, from above, on, and below the water.
02
Two communities, one story
Her work bridges the whale community and the surf community, who share the same water, the same season, and the same stakes — but have rarely shared the same story.
03
Beyond Maui
Beyond Maui, she leads small-group journeys to swim with humpbacks in Tonga and to meet gray whales and orcas in Mexico and Norway.
Credentials
- Research
- NOAA Marine Mammal Research Permit — Principal Investigator
- Residency
- April Artist-in-Residence, The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua Bay
- Featured
- The Wall Street Journal, D'Art Gallery, Montage Kapalua Bay, Chamoun Gallery
- Expeditions
- Expedition guide and photographer on seven continents
Fluke below the surface · Below