Inducted to the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame – 2020
Legends Row Walk of Fame 2021 – City of Mississauga
Women of Impact Award 2021 – Women and Gender Equality Canada
Blue Ribbon Selection for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – The Aquanaut
The Explorers Club William Beebe Award 2020 – Granted for the fifth time in history for exceptional contributions to underwater exploration.
Inducted to the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame – 2020
Sigurd F. Olsen Nature Writing Award – Notable Book for Best Nature Writing 2019
Nautilus Book Award, Silver
Best Polar Film for the 2020 Wildlife Conservation Film Festival – Under Thin Ice
Kamera Alpin Gold – MountainFilm International Film Festival in Graz, Austria for the film Faszination Arktis – Tauchgang unter dünnem Eis 85 min (Deutsch version of Under Thin Ice) – 2019
Lifetime Achievement Award, TekDiveUSA 2018 – “For a lifetime of consistent contribution and discovery that has opened up the field of technical diving.”
Ocean Wise’s First Ocean Champion – 2017
Polar Medal – Presented by Canada’s Governor General 2017
Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences – NOGI Award for Sports and Education
Tom Zanes Award – NSS Film Salon – Best of Show – Abaco Blue Holes Film Series 2017
Celebrated as one of Canada 150’s Women – 2017
Beneath the Sea Diver of the Year – 2017
Inaugural Explorer in Residence – Royal Canadian Geographical Society 2015
NAUI Environmental Enrichment Award 2015
Inducted to the College of Fellows – Royal Canadian Geographical Society 2014
Inaugural Royal Canadian Geographical Society Sir Christopher Ondaatje Medal for Exploration 2013
Oztek Media Excellence Award for Significant Contributions to Technical and Exploration Diving – Australia 2013
Florida Lakes Management Society’s Scott Driver Award 2013 – presented to an “activist” who has promoted the restoration, protection and/or appreciation of Florida’s aquatic resources.
Cinema Verde Environmental Film Festival – Best of Show – We Are Water 2013
NSS Film Salon – We Are Water – Honorable Mention 2013
Our World Underwater – Distinguished Service Award 2013
Scuba Diving Magazine and ORIS Watches Sea Hero of the Year Award 2012
Boston Sea Rovers Diver of the Year 2012
Wyland ICON Award 2011
Conservation Award – National Association of Cave Divers 2010
Keen Footwear – STAND Award for environmental photography with a call to action
Real Sobriety film has won a Storyteller award from the Redemptive Film Festival and an Accolade Award
The Water’s Journey Series has received: Wild and Scenic Film Festival –The River Returns Featured Selection, Japanese International Wildlife Film Festival – Featured Selection, Davey Award – Silver 2005, Insight Award – Award of Excellence 2005, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival – Best Documentary 2005, International “Deffie” for the Best HD Documentary 2004, CINE Golden Eagle – 2004, Gold Aurora Award 2003, Finalist Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival 2003, Crystal Reel Winner – Best Educational Film 2003, Explorer’s Club Film Festival – Best Exploration Film 2002, NSS Best of Show 2003, ISC Best Conservation Film 2009
SSI Platinum Pro Diver Award 2007
Santa Fe Film Festival – Ice Island Featured Selection
Florida Moving Image Archive – Finalist 2003
Fellow of the National Speleological Society (NSS) 2000
Inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame 2000
Canadian Technical Diver of the Year 2000
1998 Women’s world record for deep cave penetration
1988 Murray G. Ross Award – highest honor for York University graduate
1988 Emily Stowe Award for Academic Excellence
1986 Alumni Silver Jubilee Scholarship
1985 & 86 Prize for Most Outstanding Contribution to College Life
1985 Athlete of the Year – Bethune College
AWARDS
PUBLICATIONS
AUTHOR
Into The Planet – Penguin RandomHouse Canada (Doubleday Books) and Harper Collins Publishers (ECCO) Released Fall 2019
The Aquanaut – Tundra Books 2021 (Penguin Random House)
The Essentials of Cave Diving – 3rd Edition, Book 2017
Underwater Video for Scuba Divers – print edition 2016
Chester the Manatee and Very, Very, Terribly Bad Itch Book 2014
Underwater Video for Scuba Divers eBook 2014
Women Underwater, Book release in 2014
The Basics of Rebreather Diving, Book 2014
Explorer Rebreather Diving – DVD 2013
PRISM2 Rebreather Diving – DVD 2013
Sidemount Diving – DVD 2012
Side Mount Profiles, Book 2010
The Essentials of Cave Diving, Book 2010
Digital Underwater Photography, Book 2010
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Cave Diving Articles and Opinions, 2009
Women Underwater, magazine – 1997-2000
MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR
The Encyclopedia of Caves, 2011 NSS
Technical Diving from the Bottom Up – Kevin Gurr 2010
The Six Skills and Other Discussions – Steve Lewis 2011
Jill Heinerth – Underwater Explorer – Book for Young Readers 2013 – Heinemann Press
Underwater Explorer – National Park Service – Junior Ranger Program 2013
Global Chorus: A 365-Person Anthology of Worldwide Concern and Enduring Hope – Todd MacLean, 2014
Proceeding of Rebreather Forum Conference 3.0, published 2014, Divers Alert Network
Diving in Darkness – Martyn Farr, 2006
Photography to numerous academic papers and journals.
COLUMNIST
Diver Magazine – Final Cut
Photographs and writing published in National Geographic, Smithsonian, New York Times, LA Times, Oprah Magazine, High Def, Toronto Star, Wend, American Cinematographer, Luxury Magazine, 55+, Modalina, Wall Street Journal, Markee, Earth, IEEE, IEEE Women, Outside, Skin Diver, Sport Diver, Southern Diver, Scuba Diving, Immersed, Nitrox Diver, Underwater Speleology, Asian Diver, Dive Girl, American Surveyor, Marine Biodiversity, DIVER, Live Science, GQ, Gizmodo, Mind Body Green, Rebel Girl, AARP Magazine, Advanced Diver, Undersea Journal, Dykking, Tauchen, 9/90, London Times, NY Post, Home, Wall Street Journal, London Daily News, VW Driver, Deep (China), Earth, WEND, other magazines and countless newspapers.
Jill’s exploration work has been covered by Sports Illustrated for Women, National Geographic, CBC, BBC, Outside Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Undersea Journal, Toronto Star, Canadian Geographic, National Geographic Explorer TV, Discovery Channel, A&E, Arte, countless online documentaries and others.
Jill has contributed to the development and review of training materials for PADI, Diving Science and Technology (DSAT), the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) and Rebreather Association of International Divers (RAID) and has consulted to NOAA and the US Navy regarding rebreather diving activities.
Regular column – Final Cut – in DIVER Magazine, Canada
Contributing Editor – DIVER Magazine
SELECTED PROJECTS
Nature of Things - Under Thin Ice
Underwater Camera and Presenter for film produced by GalaFilms. To air on CBC in 2019 in addition in global distribution.
Walking with the Ancients - National Geographic
Sponsored by National Geographic, Bob Ballard’s Ocean Exploration Trust, Office of Naval Research, MIT and Stone Aerospace, this multiyear project is mapping underwater caves in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary using emerging technologies destined for outer space.
One Strange Rock - National Geographic
Underwater DP for shooting sequences in caves and ocean in Andros and Abaco, Bahamas. Airing 2018.
Digital Preservation Proejct - National Geographic
Documentarian shooting stills and video and creating educational media for this National Geographic Expedition.
Expedition Grenada
Online expedition media for the Department of Tourism, Grenada.
National Geographic - Cuba
Exploration, survey and documentation of underwater caves and the paleo remains that lie within. Photographer, video, 3D imagery.
Projecto Azores
Online expedition, video and photography mission to Sao Miguel and Sant Maria, Azores. #ProjectoAzores Swim with Mobilas
Christmas Island Cave Exploration Project
Christmas Island Cave Exploration Project – National Geographic 2013 – Exploration Diver and Cinematographer (first exploration of submerged caves on island, searching for and documenting unique cave adapted life)
Vice Media
Toxic: America’s Water Crisis – Presenter – Vice Media
Explorer Rebreather Training Videos
Hollis Explorer Rebreather Training Videos – Director/Cinematographer
Assembly and Pre-Dive
Pre-Dive Only
Sensor Calibration
Immediate Pre-Dive
Bubble Check
Switch to Open Circuit
Replacing the Loop
Mask Skills
Your First Swim
Buoyancy
Watching Displays
Ascents
Using Bailout Bottles
Bailing to Offboard Gas
Bailout Ascent
Sharing Air
Gear Removal
Rescue Skills
Using a DSMB
PRISM2 Rebreather Training Videos
PRISM2 Rebreather Training Videos – Hollis – Director/Cinematographer
National Geographic - Chasing the Oracle
Chasing the Oracle – Expedition Leader, National Geographic Expedition’s Council 2012 (Explorer’s Club Flag #61 – Following the path of Alexander the Great across the Western Desert of Egypt to the Libyan border exploring oases springs in search of archaeology, caves and story about Nubian Aquifer)
NOAA - Bermuda Deep Caves Project
Bermuda Search for Deep Caves Project – NOAA 2011 Deep Exploration Diver and Documentarian (conducted deepest manned dives in Bermuda’s history to 460 fsw documenting former sea level stands and searching for caves).
Goliath Grouper
French Television Special – Underwater Cinematographer
Blue Canyons Proejct
Acklins Blue Canyons Project – Exploration Diver 2011 (Explored, surveyed and photographed over 8000 feet of virgin underwater caves).
Chandler Media - Flood Tide
Underwater Camera – Watch Trailer
Sidemount Diving Training Film
Sidemount Diving – HPI – Director/Cinematographer – Purchase here.
Ben's Vortex
Ben’s Vortex – Director/DP
Into The Unknown - Honda
Into The Unknown – Honda, Ondi Timoner Director – Presenter, UW Camera
Naked Earth
Naked Earth – Caves Sequence – BBC – Underwater DP
We Are Water
DP/Producer (Long term educational mission and multimedia outreach project)
Poe
DP/Producer – Documentary
Extreme Cave Diving - NOVA
Extreme Cave Diving – Associate Producer, Technical Dive Specialist, Underwater Grip, 2nd Underwater Camera – NOVA
Diving the Labyrinth - National Geographic
Diving the Labyrinth – Associate Producer, Technical Dive Specialist, Underwater Grip, 2nd Underwater Camera – NGCI
Blue Holes: Diving the Labyrinth – Associate Producer, Technical Dive Specialist, Underwater Grip, 2nd Underwater Camera – NGTI
NTV Japan
This Century’s Most Significant Human Endeavors – Presenter, Underwater Camera, – NTV Japan
History Channel
Strange Rituals – Wilderness Warriors – History Channel
Real Sobriety
Real Sobriety – Director / Editor / DP – Heinerth Productions Inc.
Rent or buy here. Watch trailer.
Buy on Amazon.
Water's Journey - TV Asahi Japan
Water’s Journey (Japanese) – Line Producer, Underwater Grip, 2nd Underwater Camera – TV Asahi
Into The Lava Dome
Into the Lava Dome – Heinerth Productions Inc. (Exploration of Lanzarote’s Monte Corona volcanic lava tubes which submerge beneath the ocean)
BBC Oceans
BBC Oceans – Underwater Grip – BBC
Water's Journey Series - PBS
Water’s Journey – Everglades: Currents of Change – Producer, Writer – PBS
Water’s Journey – Everglades: Restoring Hope – Producer, Writer – PBS
Water’s Journey – The River Returns – Producer, Writer – PBS
Watch Short Version of The River Returns
Water’s Journey – Hidden Rivers of Florida – Producer, Writer
Watch Videos Here and view the educational website
Spirit of the Ichetucknee
Spirit of the Ichetucknee – Producer, Writer
Ice Island - National Geographic
Ice Island – Producer, Co-writer, Exploration Diver, Safety Director – National Geographic / Bill Kurtis Productions Inc. (Lead dive team in first ever exploration of iceberg caves using closed circuit rebreathers)
Protecting Florida's Springs
Protecting Florida’s Springs – Producer
National Geographic Explorer
National Geographic Explorer – Exploration Diver, Project Organizer
Underwater Camera – Mapping the Labyrinth – NG Television
US Deep Caving Team Wakulla2 Project 1997-98 – Exploration diver (Women’s world record for deep cave penetration, exploring and documenting Wakulla Springs on dives exceeding 21 hours run time)
Surviving the Worst
Surviving the Worst – Segment Producer – Alligator Attack, Shark Attack – Fox Television
Dreamchasers
Dreamchasers – Associate Producer, Underwater Lighting – Cave Diving Episode – Diplomatic TV – A&E
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth – Underwater Lighting & Safety – Discovery Channel and Green Umbrella Productions
Jackson Hole Documentary Winner
Ejido Jacinto Pat Expedition
1996 (Expedition co-leader exploring with team surveying some 40,000 feet of new underwater cave)
US Deep Caving Team
Huautla Deep Cave Project – US Deep Caving Team 1995