Hi, I’m Emily and I thrive on helping people make awesome things happen on the coast. I love people, science, the coast, and adventures. I earned my degree in Ocean and Coastal Resources from Texas A&M University at Galveston and used it to educate students and tourists about the magic found where the sea meets the land. My first job out of college took me to an island off the coast of California with the Catalina Island Marine Institute as a Marine Science Instructor in Cherry Cove, near Two Harbors. I was hooked, the sparkle seen in one’s eye upon discovery of the intricacies of coastal science fueled me for a full decade. I spent seven years living in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico guiding whale watching, snorkeling, sailing, kayaking and hiking trips in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I enjoyed a decade long adventure teaching, guiding, and planning custom trips in amazing places.

I moved back to Texas and became a realtor before I bought a house on the west end of Galveston Island. I loved helping people buy their most precious coastal resource, their home. I missed snorkeling for a living, but I found solace in the smiles of my clients realizing their dream of coastal home ownership. I enjoyed helping people understand the realities we face as coastal home owners. Living on an island takes grit, but the perks are many and diverse.

I originally created Custom Coastal to provide a network of trusted providers of unique eco-adventure experiences that the company I worked for in Baja Sur did not provide. I have taught marine science on six distinct coasts: Texas’ Gulf Coast, Florida’s Keys, South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast, Pacific Channel Islands, and the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez sides of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Galveston, although not a UNESCO World Heritage Site or Marine Protected Area, is one of Texas’ most precious coastal towns. The waters surrounding Galveston Island are filled with diverse natural resources that fuel our economy and our imaginations.

After selling houses for six years I yearned to guide again, so I got my Captain’s License in 2022. I hold a USCG Merchant Mariner Credential for an Operator of Un-Inspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV, or 6-pack) and 100-Ton Master’s license. My goal is to show you the more curious and awe-inspiring sides of Galveston’s waters. I am also a Certified Nature Guide of the Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council (GINTC). Everything I have done in my life has prepared me to help others understand and enjoy our relationship with our marine resources.

It all begins with curiosity which leads to exploration. Through exploration comes understanding. In my experience as a guide and teacher, a person cannot love something they do not understand.

I am passionate about teaching people about marine sciences. After being back in Galveston for a decade I realized that our future as a thriving coastal town is in jeopardy. Not only are the storms becoming more intense and frequent, but sea level rise and coastal erosion threaten our most exposed beaches. Tourists see the pretty parts of coastal living, they come to Galveston to board pleasure boats, eat in fancy restaurants, visit our impressive Arts District and sleep in a beachfront home that at one time may have had 2-3 other homes obstructing the view, but were reclaimed by the rising waters.

84% of kids in the Galveston Island School District are considered ‘Economically Deficient’, with some elementary and middle schools as high as 98%. There is a wide income disparity in families living on our island. Most of our kids are not getting exposure to the things that tourists travel to Galveston to experience. They are also missing out on experiences that will enrich their lives and provide them a competitive salary in many maritime and coastal-specific industries. Our teachers are tasked with presenting curriculum that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) introduces to them in the form of Texas Educational Knowledge Standards (TEKS) and pathways that are designed to graduate high school students career-ready and/or well-informed about future schooling options. I got passionate about teaching kids again and started developing curriculum that will help the school districts accomplish their goals by exposing kids to hands-on marine resource exploration. I incorporated Custom Coastal Outreach October 2023 and received the IRS 501c3 designation as a nonprofit entity in June of 2024. It not only helps teachers, but also prepares Galveston for a sustainable future. Our wetlands are severely threatened by the Supreme Court decision that limited the Army Corps of Engineers’s reach on protecting certain kinds of wetlands, including the wetlands we find near our beach and bay that our coast depends upon. If you would like to learn more, please head over to Custom Coastal Outreach to learn more about our mission: Get Kids On Boats.