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Hometown
: Mississauga,
Ontario, Canada
Age:
47
Years Diving:
24
Favorite Dive Destination:
Port Hardy, near Vancouver
Island, British Columbia. “The
marine life there is so exotic
— there are species found
nowhere else in the world.”
Why I’m a DAN Member:
DAN’s research and resources
are critical to the technical
diving I do. When I explore remote areas using complex equipment, it helps to know
the latest information. I call DAN frequently to ask medical questions, and DAN was
invaluable when I suffered decompression sickness.
24
|
SPRING 2012
J
ill Heinerth has dived deeper
in caves than any woman
in history. She has explored
and photographed Antarctic
icebergs and subterranean
wonders beneath Mexican jungles
and Siberian mountains. Heinerth
was a key member of expeditions
of the National Geographic Society,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), Texas
A&M University, Bahamas Caves
Research Foundation, the U.S.
Deep Cave Diving Team and many
others. Among her explorations
is a two-month project diving a
rebreather for up to three hours at
a time in an Antarctic ice cave in
a 1.8-knot current. Heinerth’s dive
expeditions are major endeavors
that involve an enormous amount
of equipment and resources; the
project she did in Antarctica with
National Geographic had a budget
of nearly a million dollars. In
January 2012, Heinerth led a team
of cave divers, scientists, journalists
and Enduro motorbike riders on an
expedition in North Africa that will
be covered in National Geographic.
“I love to push the limits of
exploration,” Heinerth said, “and
I love sharing my knowledge of
diving technology with others.”
Heinerth does this through her
multimedia blog, RebreatherPro.com,
which attracts a large international
audience. She has also published
articles in magazines and newspapers
around the world, contributed to the
development of training materials
for organizations including the
Professional Association of Diving
Instructors (PADI), the International
Association of Nitrox and Technical
Divers (IANTD) and the National
Speleological Society–Cave Diving
Section (NSS-CDS), and has written
three books on cave diving and
underwater photography. These
talents have established Heinerth
as an industry expert in technical
diving and closed-circuit rebreathers.
Her website www.IntoThePlanet.
com showcases her photography
and lists her international speaking
engagements.
Heinerth is also an award-
winning filmmaker. She wrote,
produced and appeared in Water’s
Journey, the PBS documentary
series that takes viewers on travels
through some of the world’s great
water systems. Her expertise in
member profile
Jill HeinertH
DIVE SLATE
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COUR T E S Y J I L L H E I N E R T H