World-class diver visits Sioux Lookout

Jesse Bonello - Staff Writer

Sioux Lookout area schools, and the Patricia Pelican SCUBA Club, had the opportunity of a lifetime when world-class Canadian cave diver, writer, photographer, filmmaker and expert technical diver Jill Heinerth paid Sioux Lookout a visit on Jan. 17.

Heinerths’ bio reads, “More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places Jill Heinerth has explored right here on earth. She is a veteran of over thirty years of filming, photography and exploration on projects in submerged caves around the world with National Geographic, NOAA, various educational institutions and television networks worldwide. She is the inaugural Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, recipient of Canada’s prestigious Polar Medal and the diving world’s highest award from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences, the NOGI.”

Heinerth, who is currently the Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, said she was able to plan a Sioux Lookout trip through a co-worker who was able to get in contact with Andy Schardt, who is the vice-principal at Sioux North High School.

“This is my first trip to Sioux Lookout, but one of my friends at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society used to live here. She said I have to get up here, so she called in some of her connections. I’m happy to be here because I like the kind of communities that may not get these sorts of opportunities very often. It gives me a chance to meet new people and see new places too,” said Heinerth.

“I got a phone call from Deb Chapman, who works for Canadian Geographic. She was aware that Jill was traveling and that she’d be in Thunder Bay. Deb is either from Sioux Lookout or at least knows Sioux Lookout and thought this would be a really good idea and presentation, and this was all last week. I jumped all over it…We set up a schedule and had her come here to Sioux North. I asked if she had time to go to Sioux Mountain because I thought that was a good idea. I also knew that Chuck Abela started up the Dive Club, and it just made sense that someone like that would probably want to meet with a group like that, so it was a win-win,” Schardt explained.

When asked about the presentations at the Sioux Lookout schools, along with Pelican Falls First Nations High School, and in front of the Patricia Pelican SCUBA Club, both Schardt and Patricia Pelican SCUBA Club President Chuck Abela shared that Heinerth was compelling and that it truly was a rare experience.

“We were very excited. You don’t get someone of her expertise or that caliber in an isolated area like that, so I have to thank Deb Chapman for putting her on to this. The kids absolutely loved her. The young ones over at Sioux Mountain had a great time, and she spent about an hour and a half with the Dive Club…She also went to Pelican Falls First Nations High School,” said Schardt.

“I think it was great. It’s not very often that you get the opportunity to meet a world-class diver like Jill. It was impressive to see how mesmerized the kids were by her presentation,” Abela said.

“For the divers that came out to the meeting afterwards, they really enjoyed her visit. Certainly the presentation that night was more dive-oriented. The questions were more specific to diving because pretty much everybody there, with the exception of a couple people, were all divers…It was really great. I talked to some of my fellow divers in Thunder Bay and they were pretty envious of the opportunity,” he continued.

Heinerth was able to share photos, video and facts with students and dive club members during her presentation. Some of the facts included her deepest dive (145 metres deep) and furthest cave penetration (over three kilometres). She also shared some of the connections she’s made over the years including her experience with world-renowned Canadian filmmaker and deep sea explorer James Cameron, who is known for directing Avatar, Titanic and The Terminator, on his first cave dives.

Schardt shared that he thought it was really important for Heinerth to touch on the different fears and anxieties that she experiences with her job.

“I think what was important to the kids here too was the fact that, when you do dives like that, there’s that mental preparation no matter how skilled you are. The discussion around how to overcome your fears and anxieties was critical, so this was terrific for all of our kids,” he said.

During her presentation at Sioux North High School she shared, “Rollercoasters are scary and exciting, right? You can turn life experiences from scary to exciting as well. I’m not saying run reckless into danger, but I am saying don’t run from fear for the rest of your life because, if you do, it’s really going to limit what you’re capable of doing.”

When asked about the opportunity to have a positive impact on youth across the country, Heinerth concluded, “When the Royal Canadian Geographical Society asked me to be the Explorer in Residence, they didn’t even know what they wanted to do with that office so they said, ‘what do you want to do?’ and I told them I wanted to get to schools and be the person I wish I had met as a kid. I think that seeing someone who is really out there doing something different and interesting can make a difference in a kids’ life.”

To see more information, including clips from her TED Talk, check out www.speakers.ca/speakers/jill-heinerth/.