The Aquanaut Among Us —An Interview with Jill Heinerth

The Aquanaut Among Us —An Interview with Jill Heinerth - theHumm April 2021

Carleton Place resident Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and filmmaker. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Explorers Club and member of the inaugural class of the Women Divers Hall of Fame. She has made TV series, consulted on movies, and written several books, including Into the Planet — My Life as a Cave Diver. Her most recent book, entitled The Aquanaut, is for young readers. Jill recently got some delightful news about The Aquanaut, and was kind enough to share it with theHumm!

theHumm: We saw on your Facebook page that The Aquanaut has been chosen by Dolly Parton to be part of her amazing Imagination Library! What does that mean for the book, and what does it mean to you to have your book chosen?

Jill Heinerth: When I first learned about the selection, I literally cried. I think Dolly Parton is an under-appreciated saint. Her charitable efforts tackle the root of lots of issues. She’s given millions to fight Covid and produce vaccines, and yet, I still feel like her mission to spread children’s literacy is even more consequential. I grew up with lots of books to read and access to a nearby library, but that is not the case for most kids. Thanks to her help, 8,000 kids will get a personally addressed package with a copy of my book. I hope it inspires readers to think big and recognize that they can achieve their wildest dreams.

According to Penguin Random House, The Aquanaut encourages readers to “explore their world, build their self-esteem and imagine what they can do and become when they grow up”. How did your own childhood imagination help set the stage for your amazing career, and why do you think it’s important for society to foster inquisitiveness in young people?

As a small child, I was always thinking outside of the box. I had terrific schoolteachers who stimulated my curiosity and encouraged me to explore many different avenues of investigation. I performed well in school, but I was often unconventional and a multi-disciplinary thinker. Fortunately, they recognized and nurtured that.

Today’s youth are facing a challenging future. Climate change and rapidly evolving technologies make it tough for today’s school curricula to keep up. We need critical thinkers and explorers more than ever. The careers of tomorrow will require multi-disciplinary collaborations, mobility and creativity. If we can hang onto the enthusiasm, optimism and sense of possibility that we had as kids, that will serve us well. Conformity and caution will not solve the big problems that we face as a global population.

For folks who haven’t (yet) read your memoir, can you talk a bit about how you got started in your extraordinary career, and where it has taken you?

My book Into the Planet — My Life as a Cave Diver is a memoir about my life as an explorer. It takes readers diving inside icebergs and underwater caves around the world, but it is far more than just adventure. I wrote the book to address the topic of fear and discovery. In that way, it feels like a book for our current times. I hope it helps people learn about the wonders of a world they might never have imagined, but I also hope it helps people unlock their full potential and find optimism in a dark time.

I am so impressed with the breadth of your writing. You’ve got some fairly technical titles, one other children’s book, and your more recent adventure memoir. But your website also lists some intriguing documentary titles, including We Are Water and Real Sobriety. What are some of the most important messages you would like to share through your work?

Most of my scientific work these days involves communicating about climate change and water literacy, but I am also interested in other social issues. When I met my husband Robert fifteen years ago, he shared that he was in recovery. I knew nothing about addiction and recovery and wanted to help him tell his story in a way that would support the families and friends of an addict or person in recovery. I wanted to know how to support him and others. That led to making a film about modern recovery.

Every time I take on a new writing, photography or filmmaking project, I face a big learning curve to digest as much as I can about the subject. I also act as a test pilot and consultant for many different underwater technologies — from advanced life support devices to underwater AI mapping robots. As an expert working in difficult underwater environments, I must become the hands and eyes of the scientist or engineer that I am working with.

Director James Cameron has said: “More people have been to the moon than to the places that Jill Heinerth has explored deep inside our watery planet. A world-class technical diver and filmmaker, Jill’s extraordinary path from under Antarctic icebergs to tropical blue holes is proof that real life is far more exciting than fiction.” How have all of the Covid restrictions impacted your work and life, and what advice do you have for people once we can get back out and explore our world again?

Like so many others, the Covid crisis sort of cut me off at the knees. I work as an independent contractor and self-employed creative person. Suddenly, all of my work was canceled. That was very stressful. I went from 200 days a year in the field to isolated at home with Robert. That turned out to be an enormous gift. We have concentrated on learning new skills and launching new ideas. We even launched a Canadian-made, eco-friendly line of apparel at MapleProud.com . This gave me a chance to use my artistic work to create colourful clothing and home décor. But I am still in the exploration and science game. I am exploring Canada’s longest underwater cave near Ottawa and working with Dr. André Martel to document some incredible endangered species therein. I am really excited about our work together. He is very generous with his knowledge of malacology and system biology and I can bring him data from a place he cannot reach. Together, I believe our work will contribute to a better understanding of the watershed and our ability to protect it.

Once we have all had a chance to get vaccinated, I look forward to hugging my Mom and Dad more than anything. We will all emerge from the Covid-times with a better understanding of the interconnectedness of our planet and a better appreciation of the importance of our connections with family and friends. I can’t imagine wasting a moment without living and loving fully and completely.

Find out more about Jill, her books and her work at her website intotheplanet.com !

Kaajuk Kablalik — Art is My Medium for Preserving My Inuit Culture - theHumm April 2021

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

When I think of jewellery, I don’t usually think of walrus whiskers or whale baleen, but these natural materials feature prominently and beautifully in Kaajuk Kablalik’s distinctive pieces. Originally from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Kaajuk (friends call him Kaaj) loves working with the materials “from home” that inspire him to promote and preserve his Inuit culture.

He is used to questions about the unfamiliar components that make his earrings and necklaces so different fr......

The Aquanaut Among Us —An Interview with Jill Heinerth - theHumm April 2021