Support Independent Ocean Journalism That Goes Beyond the Surface

Hi, I'm Nicole — a journalist, scuba diver, and ocean storyteller. After years of dreaming, training, and preparing, I'm finally launching The Salted Truth: an independent journalism project and YouTube channel dedicated to documenting the stories of people whose lives are shaped by the ocean.

My mission is urgent yet simple: to help people understand that no matter where you live, the ocean has an impact on your life, and you have an impact on the ocean.

To give this project the full commitment it deserves, I need your help.

My Full Project Need: $6,000

To launch The Salted Truth properly, my complete funding need is $6,000, which will allow me to:

• $2,000 - Travel across Moroccan coast to remote villages

• $1,500 - Basic gear, transportation, and field expenses

• $2,000 - 2–3 months of full-time reporting and production

• $500 - Editing software and platform setup

Every contribution counts toward this complete vision. Truly, even $10 brings this dream closer to reality.

Note: GoFundMe will show progressive goals to build momentum, but this breakdown shows how your donation contributes to the full project.

Impact of your donation:

$25 covers one day of meals while reporting in remote communities

$50 funds transportation to a fishing village for interviews

$100 supports a full day of filming and documentation

$250 covers a week of living expenses while I focus 100% on storytelling

Why I'm Asking for Support

I've already made the leap — left the comfort zone of Utila, a small Caribbean island, moved across the Atlantic, and set up a frugal, nomadic lifestyle in Europe. Living out of a vehicle, camping and boondocking, I'm staying mobile and grounded in local communities.

But here's the truth: I had no choice but to leave Utila.

I was stuck in a cycle of burnout, depression, and creative isolation. I had hit a ceiling. My job — while fulfilling in many ways — only allowed me to scrape by. There was no room to grow, no time to build something bigger. I felt drained, pouring myself into other people's dreams while my own was slowly slipping away.

This project isn't just a job — it's my life's purpose. I'm not just chasing a career; I'm building one from the ground up. And doing that as a woman — in a field still dominated by men, from journalism to diving — adds another layer of exhaustion. There are few roadmaps, and fewer mentors. It can be isolating and vulnerable, but that's exactly why it matters so deeply that I keep going.

Without support, this dream gets buried under the weight of survival. I don't have a Plan B.

What I need now is time — time to research, travel, interview, film, write, edit, and publish without the constant stress of making ends meet. Your support gives me the gift of time to invest 1,000% into telling these ocean stories and launching my career.

What Is The Salted Truth?

The Salted Truth is an on-the-ground documentary series — part YouTube channel, part field dispatch — exploring the powerful, unexpected, inspiring, and sometimes heartbreaking ways people connect to the sea.

Even though the ocean makes up 71% of Earth, its depths remain unfamiliar to most — leaving many disconnected from the very force that sustains us. In a modern life that is ever more disconnected from nature, we need to respect the sea and recognize the life it gives us. Whether you live by a coastline or deep inland, the ocean shapes your way of life.

Through short documentaries, field reporting, and written features, I'll illuminate the invisible threads that bind us to the sea — and I'll do so with a commitment to nuance and honesty. In a world where outrage spreads faster than understanding, and complex realities are flattened into soundbites, we need journalism that listens before it speaks — and that shows both sides of a story. That's the heart of The Salted Truth.

First Stop: Morocco

Morocco is where The Salted Truth begins — a country where ancient traditions and modern ocean innovations intersect. From women-led shellfish cooperatives to sustainable seaweed farms, Morocco's evolving blue economy reveals how lives — inland and coastal — are shaped by the sea. These stories will spotlight resilience, ingenuity, and the often-unseen ways the ocean weaves through everyday life.

My Journey to This Moment

Raised in the Midwest, I struggled with doubt and self-worth — battles that led me down some very dark paths. But through it all, two things stayed constant: a love for writing and an unshakable pull toward the sea.

After earning my journalism degree at the University of Miami, I bought a one-way ticket to Honduras at 27 to train as a scuba diver — determined to become an underwater photographer and tell stories of the ocean. I committed fully: trained hard, worked my way up to PADI instructor, then professional underwater photographer. Eventually, I led a dive center's media program and published my first ocean feature — which landed on the cover of DIVER Magazine in 2021.

Since then, every extra cent I've earned has gone into scuba gear and underwater photo equipment — not vacations, not clothes, just the tools to go deeper.

After years stuck in creative stagnation in Utila, I needed a way out. So I took it. I moved to Europe with little savings and have devoted every single day since to building the foundation for the rest of my life.

Now, I'm reaching out to you — my friends, family, and kindred spirits — to help take this dream into its next phase.

What You'll Receive as a Supporter

This isn't a one-off passion project — it's the beginning of a long-term mission to share personal, relatable ocean stories and to kickstart the next chapter of my life's journey. Your support fuels not just a single story, but the foundation of an entire body of work to come.

All early supporters receive:

• ️ Weekly behind-the-scenes field updates

• Personal reflections and travel dispatches

• Early access to short documentaries and written features

• A thank-you shoutout in the credits and newsletter

Will You Help Me Tell These Stories?

Journalism still matters — especially now, when climate change, overfishing, and pollution threaten lives and livelihoods connected to the ocean.

These stories don't just appear — they require time, trust, and access. Your support will directly fund the kind of in-depth, human-centered reporting too often overlooked by mainstream media — yet too crucial to ignore.

In a time when truth is often shaped by ideology and nuance is drowned out, this kind of grounded, empathetic reporting isn't just important — it's essential.

Thank you for believing in this journey.

— Nicole

Creator, The Salted Truth