Help Me Document Humpback Whales in Tonga with the team that coproduced Ocean with David Attenborough:

I’ve Been Selected for a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity.

I’ve been awarded a 75% bursary to join the professional filmmaking team behind David Attenborough’s acclaimed documentary “Ocean” on an expedition to document humpback whales in the pristine waters of Tonga. This is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I need your help to make it happen. Here's the kicker, the trip takes place from August 30th-Sept 6th. I have LESS THAN TWO WEEKS TO LOCK IN MY SPOT!!

So grateful to join this journey with the Arksen & 10 Percent For The Ocean teams.

My Story

My name is Allye Brillante, and I’m a filmmaker and photographer from Austin, Texas. While newly scuba certified, my whole life I’ve found my deepest peace and purpose in the water - even in the murky shores of the Texas Gulf Coast.

The ocean became my teacher in emotional regulation and healing. Through learning to breathe underwater, to move with currents instead of against them, to find stillness in the depths, I discovered that we already have all the resources we need to heal. The elements themselves are our greatest teachers.

Now, I’m pursuing storytelling that shares this truth - that nature isn’t just something beautiful to observe, but a living classroom for wellness and wholeness.

What Won Me This Grant

Here’s the piece of writing that helped earn me this incredible opportunity:

_________

The moment I enter the water, all the noise finally goes quiet.

That tight knot in my chest - gone. The endless loop of worry that plays behind my eyes - silent. My jaw unclenches. My shoulders drop. How ironic, that in the moment I start to hold my breath, my body no longer feels like it’s bracing for impact.

Around me, a sea turtle glides past without hurry, without agenda. Its ancient eyes hold no shame, no striving. It simply is - moving through blue space with the same unhurried grace it’s carried for millions of years. I watch it disappear into the depths and feel something loosen in my ribcage.

A school of fish flows around me like liquid silver, each one perfectly itself, no apologies. They don’t question whether they’re swimming fast enough, well enough, right enough. They just move, turn, breathe, exist. Their simple being crashes over me like a wave of permission.

I float here watching this underwater world continue its ancient dance - the octopus reaching with curious tentacles, the ray gliding like a shadow made of silk, the coral polyps blooming without self-consciousness. None of them caught in the endless human trial of measuring, judging, improving.

My muscles melt into the salt and space. My mind goes quiet watching this kingdom of creatures who have never heard of failure, never learned to hate themselves, never forgot they belong here.

The ocean doesn’t need me to be better. It takes me exactly as I am, the same way it takes the whale, the smallest fish, the drifting jellyfish.

All of us held in the same vast, patient embrace.

The Mission

I want to create a documentary that explores what happens when we stop seeing the ocean as scenery and begin recognizing it as a living force for healing and transformation. The opportunity to dive with humpback whales feels like the natural next chapter in sharing how the elements teach us to regulate, to find peace, to remember we belong.

These magnificent creatures migrate thousands of miles, communicate across vast distances, nurture their young, and navigate by ancient instincts. They embody the very lessons the ocean taught me about emotional regulation - how to move with flow instead of force, how to surface when we need breath, how to dive deep when we need grounding.

I’m not just going to film whales - I’m going to witness them as teachers. To listen. To honor what unfolds. My goal is to share that experience in a way that helps others discover the healing resources that have always been available to us in the natural world.

What I Need Your Help With

The bursary covers 75% of the expedition costs, but I need to raise $8,000 to cover:

Flights to Tonga: $2,000-$5,000 (depending on routing and timing)

Rentals for professional filming equipment & underwater gear: $2,000-$2,500

Travel insurance: $200-$300

Emergency buffer: $500

Everything else - accommodation, meals, boat expenses, and expedition costs - is covered by the grant.

Corporate Sponsors Welcome - Contact me for donation and acknowledgment opportunities

Why This Matters

This isn’t just about one filmmaker’s dream. It’s about capturing and sharing the profound connection between humans and the ocean in a way that inspires others to protect these incredible creatures and their habitat. Humpback whales are recovering from near extinction, and their story - our story with them - deserves to be told with the reverence and artistry it deserves.

My Promise to You

I will document every step of this journey and share it with transparency and gratitude. You’re not just funding a trip - you’re investing in storytelling that has the power to change how we see our relationship with the natural world.

The ocean has taught me that we all belong in this vast, patient embrace. Help me share that message with the world.

“The ocean doesn’t need me to be better. It takes me exactly as I am, the same way it takes the whale, the smallest fish, the drifting jellyfish. All of us held in the same vast, patient embrace.”

Thank you for considering supporting this dream. Together, we can bring these ancient stories to light.