Photographer of the Week – Jill Heinerth

By Lia Barrett, March 20, 2014 @ 02:51 PM (EST)

Jill had the opportunity to shoot a cave that is never open to divers. This remarkable place in Bermuda is like a time capsule of geology.

Moving into our third week of celebrating women in diving, we recognize a photographer who is among the accomplished, the notable, and the leaders of the underwater community, Jill Heinerth. A role model to anyone interested in exploration, Jill is an exemplary example of ambition and success, especially in matters relating to the ocean and underwater cave systems.

The tannic water from the Santa Fe River mixes with the blue spring water coming out of Devil’s Ear Spring. Together they mix an amazing palette of hues that are one of the most beautiful things you will ever witness. Shamelessly lifting from her well crafted “About” section on her website, I believe her introduction paragraph says it all in a nutshell. “More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places that Jill’s exploration has taken her right here on the earth. From the most dangerous technical dives deep inside underwater caves, to searching for never before seen ecosystems inside giant Antarctic Icebergs, to the lawless desert border area between Egypt and Libya while a civil war raged around her, Jill’s curiosity and passion about our watery planet is the driving force in her life.”

The glory of the formations in a cave once dry. Jill combines a highly technical skill level in diving with a finely tuned creative sensibility to render breathtaking images in one of the most difficult environments to shoot in: caves. Lighting, coordination with buddies, and gas tracking are all crucial elements in pulling off successful imagery in such deep, dark trenches in the earth. I should say, at the risk of sounding crude, it is my opinion that must Jill possess one major set of woman cojones to do what she does! My personal woman cojones prefer to stay outside of said caves, and so I commend her doubly for being a principal explorer!

Dan’s Cave in Abaco winds beneath the island like a museum of natural history. But Jill is not merely a cave diver and photographer. When she’s not winning awards for her achievements in diving and photography (believe me, the list is commendable), she spends a lot of time giving speeches, testing new equipment (she is an industry expert in rebreathers), and spreading the word about endangered freshwater systems through her project “We are Water.” And so Jill, as a pusher of boundaries, an environmental advocate, and a pioneer, is one of our ladies of March whom we highlight in celebration of the many incredible women in our underwater industry.

Looking down on a small wreck in the Dominican Republic.

The Lens of a spring to the world above.

Khrista Zand embodies the power and capabilities of women in diving today.

Diver emerges through the silt of a restriction in Bermuda’s Green Bay Cave.