Jill Heinerth won the Diver of the Year at the Beneath the Sea event, held recently in New Jersey. Nathalie Lasselin was admitted to the Divers Hall of Fame. Both are Canadians. Beneath the Sea is an organization recognized internationally for its work in ocean environment education.
Heinerth is an underwater filmmaker, whose work includes cave diving. She is also explorer in residence at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Heinerth, who studied fine arts at Toronto’s York University, is a filmmaker, underwater explorer, public speaker and has written books on rebreather and cave diving.
She does dangerous technical dives in deep underwater caves. Another challenge she has taken is diving inside huge Antarctic caves, where ecosystems never seen before are the attraction.
Her accolades include entry to the Explorer’s club and the inaugural Women’s Diver Hall of Fame.
Another Canadian, Nathalie Lasselin, has recently been admitted to the Women’s Divers Hall of Fame. She is an explorer who has won several awards for underwater filming. She has filmed underwater in more than 50 countries and explored underwater caves in five continents. Nathalie’s camera is always with her so she can share her work with those who will never venture below the ocean surface. She has produced six underwater documentary films.