Emma Painter

Growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, Emma is a summer baby through and through. Rarely seen with shoes on, she spent hours outside climbing trees, reading books in said trees, swimming, and challenging everyone to a barefoot foot race. Digging in the dirt to find bugs was her childhood passion and she would spend hours watching ant hills. Emma grew up with her mom pointing out every flower and has since grown a love for wildflowers and sunsets that matches no other. Emma always felt like she was being pulled somewhere else. She finally listened to that pull and ended up working on the ocean instead, where she found some of the darkest (and brightest) skies as well as discovered a love for the smallest beings in the ocean- plankton and their bioluminescence. On dives and hikes, she often ends up stopping every few feet to look at the smallest rocks, plants, coral, or fish she sees, much to the chagrin of speedy dive buddies.

When not on the water, you will find Emma in the mountains of Vermont swimming, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, and enjoying the sun, the stars, and the way the ice glistens in the trees.