Jill Heinerth is one of the most accomplished aquanauts in the world. With over 8500 dives, she is hired by some of the most notable names in film and television, from David Suzuki, to James Cameron. 

But her life isn’t all about shooting epic underwater scenes for the big screen, a lot of her life is doing research in underwater caves, looking at organisms that few have ever seen before. She does this as part of scientific research that leads to groundbreaking medical discoveries, with applications for AIDS, breast cancer, and even COVID. 

These dives are dangerous though, and each time she goes under, could be her last.

Host: Jesse Brown 

Credits: Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), Annette Ejiofor (Managing Editor), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Further reading: 

• Official website — Jill Heinerth
• Explorer-in-Residence — Royal Canadian Geographical Society
• 'I’m not afraid of dying': Cave diver's latest obsession is underneath the Ottawa River — Ottawa Citizen

Additional music by Tristan Capacchione and Audio Network

Sponsors: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Article, Athletic Greens

If you value this podcast, support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.