Into the Planet

My Life as a Cave Diver

By: Jill Heinerth

Narrated by: Jill Heinerth

From one of the world’s most renowned cave divers, a firsthand account of exploring the earth’s final frontier: the hidden depths of our oceans and the sunken caves inside our planet

More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today—and one of the very few women in her field—Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring readers face-to-face with the terror and beauty of earth’s remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.

Jill Heinerth—the first person in history to dive deep into an Antarctic iceberg and leader of a team that discovered the ancient watery remains of Mayan civilizations—has descended farther into the inner depths of our planet than any other woman. She takes us into the harrowing split-second decisions that determine whether a diver makes it back to safety, the prejudices that prevent women from pursuing careers underwater, and her endeavor to recover a fallen friend’s body from the confines of a cave. But there’s beauty beyond the danger of diving, and while Heinerth swims beneath our feet in the lifeblood of our planet, she works with biologists discovering new species, physicists tracking climate change, and hydrogeologists examining our finite freshwater reserves.

Written with hair-raising intensity, Into the Planet is the first book to deliver an intimate account of cave diving, transporting readers deep into inner space, where fear must be reconciled and a mission’s success balances between knowing one’s limits and pushing the envelope of human endurance.

Thrilling

Loved Jill’s voice as she narrated her own story - at times thrilling, other times heartbreaking. What a wonderful life, full of adventure and passion - a fantastic journey which most of us will never take, but one which we can regardless enjoy vicariously through her book!!

Well written and Truly inspiring!

Jill writes about her life and her adventures as an explorer in a way that inspires you to forget about your mundane day job and dream about finding your own destiny as an explorer.

Incredible stories and Inspirational!

As a fellow female adventure lover, books like this are a treasure. Unfortunately they are few and hard to find. please write more, Jill!

The Story of the World's Premier Woman Cave Diver

I found this audiobook interesting. The first third of the book seemed mundane, whereas the latter part held me glued to the story. I am not a cave diver, but I see Ms. Heinerth's name in dive magazines and other scuba diving media. Heinerth has many talents that propel her into the realm of scuba diving enthusiasts' minds. She is smart; she has unusual powers of observation; she is a businesswoman, a writer, a photographer, a videographer, extreme, deep cave diver; she is always fighting against the opposition of forces that are envious of her, people who put her down because she is on top of her game and because she is a woman in a seemingly all-male risky, death-defying sport. She uses the latest, most sophisticated rebreather diving systems, systems that can kill a person over the slightest inattention to detail. She will verbally fight egotistic individuals who try to efface her greatest accomplishments. Heinerth is a kind of Ausnahmemensch; she is ahead of her peers and covers many spectrums. In addition to where she has come from, she has all of the toughness of a world-class explorer. She doesn't need a bottle of Canadian Black Seal to prove it.

intriguing

Important, to hear this story about adventure, danger, sexism, triumph and survival. I was enthused right to the end will start listening again.