Scubaverse

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Jill Heinerth.

Jill is one of the world’s premier underwater explorers, and the first person to dive inside iceberg caves. According to filmmaker James Cameron, “More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places Jill Heinerth has gone right here on earth.”

An acclaimed polar explorer, cave diver, author, speaker, filmmaker, and climate advocate, Jill is the first Explorer-in-Residence of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. She is the inaugural recipient of the Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration and Canada’s Polar Medal.

Jill leads expeditions into extreme environments to advance scientific and geographic knowledge. Her projects have been broadcast on the CBC, BBC, PBS, Discovery Channel, and television networks worldwide. Jill was announced as the recipient of the William Beebe Award from the Explorer’s Club and was inducted into the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame in fall 2020.

Her bestselling book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver  has drawn acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and O Magazine. Heinerth details her journey into the extreme world of underwater cave exploration, where she has had to overcome fear in order to go where no one has gone before.

Find out more about Jill and her work at: www.intotheplanet.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Linden Wolbert - Mermaid Linden.

Professional Mermaid Linden Wolbert is a real mermaid whose passion is educating children about the wonders of our oceans, swimming safety and ocean conservation as well as exploration and inspiring our world's youngest ocean ambassadors.

Linden shares the life aquatic via the "Mermaid Minute," her successful educational web series, which “edutains” young viewers about ocean life and marine habitats. Her YouTube channel to date has 93.7K subscribers and 53,159,186 views.

She loves science and natural history. Linden has teamed up with Body Glove International, designing her own line of kid's mermaid-inspired swim products, available on her website! She has performed and travelled all over the world for over a decade "merforming" for fundraisers, events, wishes for kids and underwater filming. Known as "the Mermaid to the Stars", she is hired by Hollywood's finest to entertain and spread magic through her work.

Over the coming months, Scubaverse will be sharing Linden's video series 'Mermaid Minute' with the occasional video from her 'Mermaid Wish Videos'.

Find out more about Linden at www.youtube.com/user/MermaidsInMotion

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to author, avid cave diver and professional adventurer Steve Lewis about life in general with a bit of diving as well!

For more, visit Steve on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Steve.Lewis.Doppler

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Alexandra Cousteau.

Alexandra Marguerite Clémentine Cousteau is a film maker and an environmental activist, who continues the work of her grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau and father Philippe Cousteau, Sr.

Find out more about Alexandra's work at: www.oceans2050.com and www.sealegacy.blue.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Phil Short, dive industry consultant for science, media and education.

Phil has been diving professionally and exploring for over 26 years and has logged over 7000 dives in caves and open water using both open and closed circuit equipment, with over 3000 hours on Rebreather equipment. He started diving in 1990 from a background of dry caving and at first only completed diver training to pass short flooded sections of dry caves.

Phil continued his diver training through the PADI system with Course Director Steve Axtell and in 1991 he qualified as a PADI instructor and began teaching full time, working his way up to Master Instructor. During this period, he continued cave diving and began developing his Technical Diving skills through training with Kevin Gurr and in 1993 was involved in forming one of the first Trimix wreck diving teams in the UK.

He is now one of the UK’s foremost IANTD Instructor Trainer Trainers and the Training director of IANTD UK, in addition to being a member of the IANTD HQ Board of Advisors. Having devoted all his free time to developing his Technical skills, Phil began to use them for cave diving, his true passion, on expeditions to Mallorca, France, Spain, Canada, Russia, Greece and Mexico. At the same time, he began teaching first open, then closed circuit, technical and cave diving full time.

Find out more at: www.darkwaterexploration.com

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to Esther Jacobs, Social Media and Conservation Manager at Oceans Research.

Originally from Scotland and working in marketing and advertising, Esther left for pastures new almost 10 years ago, to pursue a career working with sharks in South Africa.

For the first few years, Esther worked with a white shark cage diving operator, running their internship, teaching visitors about the white sharks, and collecting valuable data on their behaviours.

After having her first daughter, Esther volunteered part-time with White Shark Africa and then started an ocean conservation initiative called Keep Fin Alive. The goals of Keep Fin Alive are to change the common misconception of sharks, and drive more attention to the threats facing our oceans.

Five years ago, Esther joined the team at the marine research company, Oceans Research, to manage their social media and bring some of the Keep Fin Alive community outreach projects into their field research program, for the interns to get involved with.

Keep Fin Alive has grown a lot in the last six years, and has ambassadors from all over the globe, helping to spread awareness of the plight of our oceans.

Esther, through Keep Fin Alive, partnered with Go Dive Mossel Bay a couple of years ago to implement a NAUI qualification called Clean Ocean Divers, with a mission statement of “Empowering our diving community to preserve and conserve our coastline, by providing the knowledge, skills and resources to keep our ocean healthy and marine life safe.”. Divers who undertake the qualification learn how to safely and respectfully remove debris from the reefs, and also help to analyse the findings for an ongoing research project. The data will be used nationally to establish problem areas with high fishing gear snagging rates, with the hopes of discouraging anglers from fishing at these sites.

Data from the partnership’s coastal clean up projects has already led to the establishment of butt bins around popular paths, and plastic pollution information boards being erected.

Find out more at www.oceans-research.com.

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, chats to James E. 'Homer' Holm about Clean Oceans International.

Captain Jim 'Homer' Holm is the Founder of Clean Oceans International (COI) - a Santa Cruz, California based 501c3 non-profit.Their mission is to develop practical solutions to plastic pollution through Research, Innovation and Direct action.

Find out more, visit www.cleanoceansinternational.org.

In this two part exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, talks with Paul Watson, Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international direct action, non profit marine wildlife conservation and protection movement. 

Find out more at www.seashepherd.org and www.seashepherdglobal.org

In this two part exclusive Zoom interview, Jeff Goodman, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, talks with Paul Watson, Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international direct action, non profit marine wildlife conservation and protection movement.

Find out more at www.seashepherd.org and www.seashepherdglobal.org

In this exclusive Zoom interview, Scubaverse Editor-at-Large, Jeff Goodman, talks to Breathwork Practitioner Hannah Goodman about breathing correctly to enhance our scuba diving experiences.

Find out more at https://grounded.life.