INTO THE PLANET

For readers of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Into the Planet will bring readers face-to-face with the terror and beauty of earth's remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.

Taking you to places where no man has ever gone before, and blending science, adventure, and memoir, Into the Planet is one of the first books to deliver an intimate account of one of the most precarious yet exhilarating pursuits in the world and one of the few books in the genre from a female narrator. Not only is Jill Heinerth the most accomplished woman in her field, in one of the most dangerous occupations on earth, she's one of the most impressive and inspiring individuals we have ever had the pleasure of meeting. It's no surprise, then, that famed director James Cameron has described Jill's life as "far more exciting than fiction."

More people have died exploring underwater caves than climbing Mount Everest, and we know more about deep space than we do about the depths of our oceans. From one of the top cave divers working today—and one of the very few women in her field—Into the Planet blends science, adventure, and memoir to bring readers face-to-face with the terror and beauty of earth's remaining unknowns and the extremes of human capability.

Jill Heinerth—the first person in history to dive deep into an Antarctic iceberg and leader of a team that discovered the ancient watery remains of Mayan civilizations—has descended farther into the inner depths of our planet than any other woman. She takes us into the harrowing split-second decisions that determine whether a diver makes it back to safety, the prejudices that prevent women from pursuing careers underwater, and her endeavor to recover a fallen friend's body from the confines of a cave. But there's beauty beyond the danger of diving, and while Heinerth swims beneath our feet in the lifeblood of our planet, she works with biologists discovering new species, physicists tracking climate change, and hydrogeologists examining our finite freshwater reserves.

Written with hair-raising intensity, Into the Planet is the first book to deliver an intimate account of cave diving, transporting readers deep into inner space, where fear must be reconciled and a mission's success balances between knowing one's limits and pushing the envelope of human endurance.



Jill Heinerth has worked on documentaries for PBS, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and the BBC and her pioneering adventures and commentary have been featured in publications as diverse as Fast Company, Real Simple and Outside. A tireless advocate for our planet's fresh water resources, Jill travels the world giving keynote speeches and presentations and imbuing audiences with a new appreciation and sense of wonder about the fascinating world right underneath our feet. Her TED talk has over 200K views. As an undersea cave diver, photographer, acclaimed filmmaker, and an "underwater consultant" to Hollywood, Jill has descended further into the inner depths of our planet than any other woman in history. Her list of accomplishments – from being the first person in history to dive deep into an Antarctic iceberg to discovering the ancient watery remains of Mayan civilizations – leaves me awestruck, and her prose, as she describes the beauty and danger of her profession, keeps me turning the page.