Exploring the Depths of the Planet: A Memoir of Cave Diving

Deb: This is just a 100/10 do recommend. Such an amazing life this beautiful women has lived. A must read.

United States on Nov 30, 2023

Dr. R. B JamesDr. R. B James: As a lifetime scuba fanatic, I implore anyone interested in Technical or Cave Diving to read this book and carefully digest the messages so lovingly conveyed by the author.

While I have over 4,000 dives under my belt, am a Military trained diver, Research Diver, Master Scuba Instructor, Technical Diver, have dove to 320', and Love exploring our underwater world, I am in humble amazement of Jill Heinerth. Her bravery, tenacity, and willingness to go where no man or woman have ever gone before is stunning. On top of that, her storytelling is powerful, emphatic, and captivating.

As much as I wanted to do a continuous deep dive into the book, I had to stop and process the information just like a 30' deco stop after a deep dive on mixed gas. You have to let your mind work through all the brilliant bubbles of thought. After a proper Surface Interval, I was able to pick up the book and submerge myself into it once again. Rinse and Repeat.
Wow.

I know I will be thinking about this book for years to come and sharing it with friends.

THANK YOU, JILL!!

United States on Apr 10, 2022

S. Gupta: Well written adventure with a good balance of personal notes, dive sites and adventures and technical details. I have no intention of diving in closed environments or extreme cold, but I admire the adventurers who do.

United States on Jun 15, 2021

Zoe: Very inspiring on chasing your passion with extraordinary courage.

Canada on Mar 12, 2021

monikerlewinsky: Her writing takes you right into the adventures with her, and she never self-aggrandizes. The writing never, ever gets in the way of this adventure story, which is beyond almost anything conceived by humans.

After reading the book, I'm left with many emotions: a deep sense of awe about all that our planet is - the sheer beauty and grandeur, the undiscovered life forms (still!), its delicacy... and so much respect for those who have the guts to live life right up against the wall, putting their lives on the line to achieve something magnificent.
We can do so much as humans instead if causing destruction, and this book is uplifting in that way.

It's just a lot of fun! But she also delves into the human price - cave diving is more dangerous than even Himalayan climbing because if something goes wrong, you have nowhere to breathe, and if you panic or lose your place, you're doomed. So she talks about her experiences losing friends.
But the overall experience of reading the book was the chance to see a new world through her eyes and feel what it might be like to live such an amazing life! Great book!

United States on Nov 07, 2020

Amazon Customer: A must-read for anyone who is interested in the world around us and the people and animals who live in it.

I took a break from a long series of Star Trek novels to read this - Into The Planet's heady mix of strange new worlds, perplexing technobabble and meat-and-potatoes character development fitted right in. The best sci-fi that was ever true.

If, like me, you were already a fan of the Into The Planet podcast, don't worry - there's plenty here you've never heard before, plus a lot of expansion on the stuff you have heard. And if you've never heard the podcasts, well, you know what to explore next, right?

United Kingdom on Aug 20, 2020

Keith: Have you ever been in a commercial cave? Tried to get through some very tight cave spots? Been in a cave that has running water, like a stream? Now, while sitting in your comfortable chair, think about swimming in a cave with cool / cold water flowing water. You have strapped to you body a variety of heavy equipment, breathing equipment, lights, and possibly cameras. And some other items.

This is the life of a cave diver - as a serious hobby / job - who is taking pictures / motion pictures, and exploring an underground stream of water -- ideally with several other divers; but still some distance or time from capable divers on land, if help is needed.

In two section of the book THERE are over two dozen pictures: surface, under the water, and ice. Plus a picture of the best day of Jill's life -- her wedding day on April 21, 2007, to Robert.

INTO THE PLANET has fifteen (15 chapters, about 260 pages) plus preface, epilogue and acknowledgments. Jill Heinerth was born in 1965. Titles of the book and dates are:
In the Beginning 1967 - 1990; Survivor 1986; An Alluring Mistress 1988; Cave Country 1993;
The Deepest 1995; The Longest 1995; Purpose 1996 - 1999; The...

United States on Jul 18, 2020

solside: Das Buch hat meine Erwartungen übertroffen. Der Stil der Autorin ist echt packend. Man hat das Gefühl, mit dabei zu sein. Da ich selber eine Wasserratte bin, als Kind nur Tobsuchtsanfälle hatte, wenn meine Eltern mich aus dem Wasser rausholen wollten, Cave u. Wreck Diver bin, kann ich die Begeisterung der Autorin für das Element Wasser und die undenkbaren, unendlichen Möglichkeiten der Forschung in diesem Element echt teilen! Es ist eine komplett andere Welt, die mich immer wieder begeistert.

Germany on Apr 29, 2020

Budd Phillips: The author has the ability to draw the reader inside her adventures, you see and feel her experiences. This is one of those books that is hard to put down as you are literally pulled into the next cave exploration and adventure.

Canada on Jan 23, 2020

Missus t: I loved this book. I cannot imagine anything I would like to do less than cave diving but this book was gripping. Scared the life out of me, lol. Recommended!

United Kingdom on Dec 29, 2019