WEBVTT

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Most people look at a cave and they see
nothing but darkness.

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They feel claustrophobic.

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It's terrifying to even
think about stepping into that doorway.

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Put that entire environment underwater
and it's just unfathomable to imagine.

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But for me and for my colleagues,
we look into the darkness and we see opportunity.

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We want to know what's around the next corner.

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Because as we stand on that threshold of the darkness

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and we embrace
the little bit of fear that exists

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we want to step inside.

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Because we know when we
step inside that our eyes will adjust

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and we have an opportunity to be
enlightened by new discoveries and

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opportunities, and learn about the
biology of inner Earth,

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about the natural beauty, the geology

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that can teach us
about Earth's climate past.

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My name is Jill Heinerth

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and I am the Explorer-in-Residence
for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

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It's the coolest title, isn't it?

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Going inside a cave for me is almost
a spiritual experience.

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When I'm diving inside a cave I am diving
inside the veins of Mother Earth.

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I'm in the sustenance that brings life to this planet.

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I mean that's incredible.

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And I get to see things and places that
nobody's ever been before.

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And that's a remarkable privilege.

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I faced a lot of barriers
as a woman, as a diver,

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and then as a cave diver,

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and then as someone who's trying
to be an underwater cinematographer,

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those are all, you know,
niches within niches within niches

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that are very male-dominated.

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So I've often been the
only woman on a boat,

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the only woman on an expedition,
the only woman in a training class.

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At one point I wanted to be a commercial diver

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and I was told flat out there was
no room for women in commercial diving.

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Then I realized that I had to just perform
and just put my head down, work hard,

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and be good enough to be noticed,
to get opportunities and then to ask for the gig

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because frequently within a group of divers
someone will kind of look past me

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to the next qualified guy unless I jumped up and down
and said, "Hey I want the gig, I want to do this.

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How can I be
prepared to do this job?"

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But at the same time often being
the first woman to do something

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is an incredible place of privilege.

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I mean I look forward to a time
when we just look at divers as divers

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and we don't say,
"Oh wow she got a woman's record."

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It's like, well so what? That doesn't really matter. I don't want that to matter.

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I just want to be recognized
as as a diver

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that did her job and did well.

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When I started cave-diving we were
perceived as adrenaline junkies.

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We were perceived as sports enthusiasts
doing crazy things,

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nearly getting themselves killed for thrills.

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And from the very beginning
of my cave diving experiences,

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we've been jumping up and down and saying these places are important,

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mapping them is important,
accuracy is important.

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Today in these caves, we're at the forefront of 3D mapping technologies

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that will not just describe the inner space of our planet

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but using autonomous devices to deploy

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some of these technologies in the future
will help us understand

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deep ocean vents, max ocean depths, and
anything within our oceans.

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The Channel Islands Marine Sanctuary
has very unique caves

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and we know very little about them

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because we're only just exploring
and mapping them for the first time.

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These sea caves are literally
being created by the hydraulic pressure

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of the waves crashing into these islands.

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And these are living spaces.

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There are things that are living
in the darkness way back in the cave.

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Our work is only just beginning

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and I hope we have an opportunity
to find more and fully map

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the opportunities that are
here in the Channel Islands.

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Pristine places are becoming more and more rare.

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These set asides are important for education

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so that the public has an opportunity
to interact with the environments

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and the occupants of these environments

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because when they can see and come to love these places,

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then they'll want to protect them too.

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I pinch myself every day for the
opportunities that I have

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to collaborate with scientists and
engineers and technologists.

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Caves are receptacles that carry so much information.

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So many scientists are interested in it.

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And as a cave diver and as an artist

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I can be the hands and the eyes
of scientists that I collaborate with.

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And together we can make discoveries
that are important to humanity.