Nicole Holman is an underwater cinematographer, filmmaker, published photographer and environmental educator based on Vancouver Island, Canada. Her work focuses on weaving camera operation with science communication – specializing in wildlife, expedition and underwater storytelling that highlights the interconnectedness of ocean systems and the people working to protect them.
With a background in biology from the University of Western Ontario, Holman began her career in the research and non-profit sector, working with NGOs, research organizations and Indigenous communities on Vancouver Island. This work shaped her focus on systems thinking, intersectionality and the role of storytelling in environmental education and advocacy.
She went on to develop her practice as a field-based expedition storyteller, documenting shoreline restoration, marine debris monitoring and coastal conservation initiatives, and later working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) ocean science expeditions, including deep-sea research for her current National Geographic Society-funded project, where she has worked alongside deep-sea submersible and ROV camera teams, capturing sequences within active scientific and exploration operations.
She is a licensed drone pilot, advanced freediver, dive master, technical rebreather diver and licensed commercial captain, and has worked on cetacean research programs in Canada, Hawaii and Indonesia through aerial documentation, data collection and field-based science collaboration.
Holman is also an experienced public speaker and science communicator, having emceed events such as Whale Tales and regularly presenting her fieldwork on whales, deep-sea ecosystems and ocean exploration to public audiences.
Nicole became a National Geographic Explorer in 2025, developing a short film on deep-sea research in Canada alongside scientists and First Nations partners working to study and protect a proposed marine protected area. She is also producing a film about fellow Explorer Sylvia Earle focused on her new deep-sea submersibles and ocean access in partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society.
Instagram: @nicole.holmann
Website: https://nicoleholmancreative.com/