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Text and images by Jill Heinerth Last summer, I embarked on a transformative journey alongside the passionate young environmental scientist, Kayla Martin. It was a season that left an indelible mark on both our lives, a tale of mentorship, perseverance, and the power of community. Kayla Martin playing in the sea foam in Les Escoumins. The story began when I seized a unique opportunity to nurture Kayla's burgeoning talent. She was a beacon of potential, and I was determined to foster her growth. Drawing upon the network of organizations that support me, I took a leap of faith and dipped into my personal funds to launch an expedition. This venture was more than just a scientific mission; it was the next step in her career in environmental science and communication. As we prepared for the adventure that lay ahead, we ventured into local waters, diving to enhance our skills in the cold underwater environments we were about to explore and document. Yet, it didn't take long for me to realize that Kayla needed more reliable gear to navigate these unforgiving waters. In this critical moment, when determination met resourcefulness, Suunto came to our aid by transferring my annual gear support to her. Hollis, recognizing the importance of our mission, provided Kayla with a state-of-the-art sidemount harness, and Fourth Element crafted a snug, protective drysuit to keep her warm in the chilly depths. I passed along essential equipment like a backup computer, undergarments, and various other items she required for our underwater expedition. A small plane lies in a freshwater quarry in Quebec, one of the first stops on their expedition. The result was a remarkable collaboration that transcended the boundaries of our initial project. Our shared dedication to environmental preservation and scientific exploration continues to flourish. Fast forward to the present day, and Kayla has emerged as a trailblazing leader in her field. This year, she is at the helm of an expedition dedicated to surveying an undocumented shipwreck, an endeavor that exemplifies her unwavering commitment to education, conservation, and groundbreaking environmental research. Our journey serves as a testament to the profound impact that a helping hand and the right tools can have on shaping a promising career. Diving is an expensive passion, and the financial barriers often deter young enthusiasts from pursuing studies that could safeguard our precious planet. This experience has reinforced the belief that if you encounter a young and eager individual in your midst, someone who harbors the potential to be a future leader in their field, consider rallying your community to lend support. When we equip and empower the next generation, the possibilities are limitless, and together, we can shape a brighter future for our world. Watch now: How Great Lakes Freshwater is Linked to the Ocean More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the remote places Jill Heinerth has explored on Earth. Jill Heinerth is a veteran of over thirty years of scientific diving, filming/photography, and exploration. Her expeditions include the first dives inside Antarctica icebergs and record-breaking scientific missions in deep underwater caves worldwide. Jill’s book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver has drawn wide acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and even Oprah magazine. Her children’s book, THE AQUANAUT, has been selected by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as a part of her inspirational initiative. Jill bought her first Suunto gear in 1988 and still dives with Suunto. For more info: www.IntoThePlanet.com

By Jill Heinerth Deep beneath our feet lies a mesmerizing world that remains largely unknown: a network of water-filled caves winding through the darkness, carrying the lifeblood of our planet. As a cave diver, I have dedicated my life to exploring these mysterious subterranean passages. I invite you to join me on a captivating journey into the depths, where fear and discovery converge, and where the delicate balance of survival and exploration unfolds. The Hidden Pathways These underground tunnels, sculpted by the gentle touch of rainwater permeating the Earth's surface, act as conduits that transport precious freshwater from deep aquifers to springs, rivers, and estuaries. Ultimately, this water embarks on a journey to the vast ocean, sustaining a thriving plankton community that generates the very oxygen we breathe. The caves I explore serve as the life-supporting veins of our planet, nurturing the lungs that allow life to flourish. The Thrill of Exploration While most people recoil at the thought of descending into the darkness of caves, I am irresistibly drawn to their constricted corridors. Equipped with cutting-edge technology and relying on each measured breath, I embrace the unknown depths. In the remoteness of my office, the boundaries between fear and discovery blur, and a single misstep could spell disaster. The exploration of these caves is not without risk, but the reward is an unparalleled sense of fulfillment and a chance to educate others about the fragility of our water planet. A Perilous Pursuit Cave diving has rightfully earned its reputation as a dangerous activity, but it also represents the frontier of scientific exploration. Aquanauts, including passionate enthusiasts, daring researchers, and scientists, push the limits of human capability as they navigate through the eternal darkness of labyrinthine limestone networks spanning the globe. Armed with multiple scuba tanks, advanced rebreathers, and swift diver propulsion vehicles, they boldly venture deep into these treacherous passageways, pushing the boundaries of exploration in terms of both distance and knowledge. Unleashing Art and Science As a filmmaker and photographer, I find myself balancing the creation of art with the meticulous monitoring of life support equipment in demanding circumstances. Whether I embark on solo adventures or join scientific expeditions, self-sufficiency becomes paramount. There is no Mission Control to solve my problems when I find myself blindly searching for a broken safety line in a cloud of silt with zero visibility. The challenges are immense, but so are the rewards. Unveiling Hidden Wonders Through my explorations, I have had the privilege of becoming the eyes and hands of scientists, unveiling a world that has never before been witnessed. Underwater caves serve as virtual museums of natural history, where I collaborate with biologists to uncover new species, assist physicists in studying climate change, and aid hydrogeologists in examining our precious freshwater reserves. These subterranean pathways have led me to grim sources of pollution, vibrant life thriving within Antarctic icebergs, and even ancient skeletal remains of the Maya civilization in the Yucatan Peninsula. Connecting to the Source By venturing into the world beneath our feet, I glide through limestone, passing beneath homes, golf courses, and restaurants. I delve into the ancient conduits of volcanoes and navigate crevices within colossal bodies of ice. Following the trail of water, I am guided from mountain creeks to resplendent blue springs, each emitting its life-sustaining bounty from within the heart of our planet. Even when the passages pinch and my dive is forced to come to an end, the water continues to flow from some enigmatic source. The journey is endless, beckoning me forward to explore the caverns, immeasurable to my imagination. It is a privilege to uncover these hidden shrines and share concealed mysteries from deep inside our planet. I want to connect humanity to where their water comes from and show people that what we do on the land’s surface will eventually be returned to us to drink. More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the remote places Jill Heinerth has explored on Earth. Jill Heinerth is a veteran of over thirty years of scientific diving, filming/photography, and exploration. Her expeditions include the first dives inside Antarctica icebergs and record-breaking scientific missions in deep underwater caves worldwide. Jill’s book INTO THE PLANET – My Life as a Cave Diver has drawn wide acclaim from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and even Oprah magazine. Her children’s book, THE AQUANAUT, has been selected by Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library as a part of her inspirational initiative. Jill bought her first Suunto gear in 1988 and still dives with Suunto. For more info: www.IntoThePlanet.com

How to mix it up when you love too many outdoor sports Allround mountain sport athlete Anton Krupicka shares how he strikes a balance with the four sports he loves. ”Embracing a variety of mountain sports has made me a more well-rounded athlete. It’s also extended my running career - there’s no way that I could only run now and stay healthy enough to race and have it be sustainable. That’s the main benefit,” Anton says. Read more   Who’s having the most fun? Feeling is an excellent metric for recovery. If your feelings after exercise start to trend downwards, something is not right. You may be pushing too hard, not recovering well enough or might be getting sick. Consider taking a break or doing something different for a change. But in addition to helping you track your recovery, feeling data reveals more. Here are six interesting findings about Suunto community, based on the data from Suunto app database. Read more   5 reasons why endurance athletes should do high-intensity strength training To improve vertical speed and endurance, high-intensity resistance training should be an essential component of your training plan, says sports scientist, coach and athlete Susi Kraft. She is concerned many endurance athletes, whether trail runners, mountaineers or cyclists, believe they can skip the gym altogether or just do a little bodyweight training and that will suffice. “One of the most common myths in the endurance world is that athletes should avoid lifting heavy weights, as they don’t need that for endurance, or that it will cause them weight gain and may slow them down,” Susi says. “This is just a myth. Actually, HIRT will make you faster, stronger and less prone to injury.” Read more   Allyship in the outdoors: what is it and how to be a good ally for others? Strong allies make for safer, more welcoming outdoor spaces. In this article by Suunto athlete, ultra-runner and diversity champion Ryan Montgomery, he explains allyship and how we can all be good allies in the outdoors. “Not everyone feels welcome, nor safe, in the outdoors. Diverse communities – our queer, LGBT, people of color, and peers with disabilities – often experience limitations that prevent them from getting outdoors. Each of us plays a role in eliminating barriers to outdoor spaces for others; being an ally is what will make outdoor recreation safe and accessible for all people,” writes Ryan. Read more   15 tips for beginners to fall in love with snorkeling Dipping beneath the surface of the ocean opens up an incredible new world. It can expand our minds and bring us closer to our blue planet. With snorkeling, there’s no need for dive training or to carry heavy dive equipment. All you need is a good mask and snorkel, fins, a rash guard, reef-safe sunscreen, basic knowledge, and the new Suunto 9 Peak Pro so you can use the “snorkeling mode”. Read more   And there’s always something to learn! In addition to inspiring and insightful stories, several how to articles were frequently read. Check these out, for example. Living peak adventure – How to navigate with Suunto With a GPS watch from Suunto, a world of adventure is at your fingertips. Learn how to find, create and navigate routes that’ll keep you stoked. Read the five-part article series How to use Karoo 2 bike computer with Suunto Hammerhead Karoo 2 is a Suunto compatible cycling computer that brings advanced navigation features, Suunto heatmaps and intuitive software to your handlebars. But there’s more to it than that! Read more Suunto app goes big On a big screen device like an iPad or an Android tablet you can experience richer texture and detail while planning routes and analyzing your training data. Learn more Track your human powered commutes with Suunto Living a more sustainable life starts with small, everyday choices. And, when done often enough and by enough people, these small changes will add up and start to have an impact. To support you in this, we have added the ability to track your human-powered commutes with Suunto app. Learn more Plan your interval workouts with Suunto app Build a workout in Suunto app and let your watch guide you through your session! This is especially useful with complex sessions, like intervals. Use Suunto app to build the workout step by step from warm-up to cool-down. Learn more

William celebrates after completing a new world record. Depth freediving is unlike most other sports. To be successful, you need to be like a Zen master - calm and clear minded. Adrenalin, anger, stress, the flight and fight response are the sworn enemies of champion freedivers like Suunto ambassador William Trubridge. Instead, they cultivate calm and relaxation through a combination of mental and physical methods. It’s his decades of exploring, developing and mastering these methods that led William to launch his new Mental Immune System program. It’s a double-pronged approach that uses these methods to dissipate stress, as well as to create barriers to its formation. We caught up with the underwater Zen master himself to discuss the system. William just set a new underwater endurance swimming record by completing a distance of 50,575 m underwater on a breath hold, with no propulsive assistance. The distance was swum as 2,023 underwater laps of a 25 m pool in Nassau, Bahamas. He did it to raise awareness about the mental health crisis facing the world today. Read on for our Q&A with William. What is the Mental Immune System? It’s a system for dealing with stress or anxiety issues. Or the general pressures of our age, and mental health problems that have become a real crisis in recent times. It’s like an app you can upload into your brain to work in the background. The idea is that it is programmed into your subconscious mind. It involves breathing and mental techniques that both have proven to have huge benefits for maintaining calmness and equanimity. How did you come up with the idea? I came up with the idea just by seeing how applicable the mental and breathing techniques that I used in freediving throughout my career were to deal with daily stress. Freediving is not like other sports in that the stress response, the adrenalin, the fight or flight reflex, cannot be channeled into a better performance in the same way they can in boxing or sprint running. In freediving it’s counterproductive because you’ll end up using oxygen quicker, maybe panicking underwater, which is the worst case scenario. And the same applies to stress in our day to day lives. We’re not confronting sabertooth tigers anymore or living in the wild. Stressful situations normally involve family, loved ones, business, work, day to day life and in pretty much all of those if you respond with a flight or fight response you’re not going to go very far in life. The more calmness we can generate in those situations the more we will thrive. So freediving is very similar to daily life in that respect. I saw how effective these techniques were in freediving and when I started to use them myself in day to day life I found they were helpful and started recommending them to others and teaching them. I feel like it would be a crime for me to not make these techniques readily available. Why now? We’re living in an age of mental health crisis. It was getting worse before COVID, and then the pandemic catalyzed it. The statistics are frightening. 40% of adults suffer from anxiety disorder and/or depressive disorder. It’s not just that people feel a little anxious now and then; it’s an actual disorder. And a lot of people are taking drugs to cope, which is creating other dependencies. Then there’s the younger generations which is maybe even worse. Kids who are run into the ground by these anxiety problems. It’s something that is very difficult for our species at this point in time and we need all the techniques we can get to help us, especially methods that don’t come at a cost by causing dependencies and other stuff. The Mental Immune System is long lasting and it is self-replenishable and has no side effects. Freedivers use a variety of breathing exercises. How does the program work? It’s a double prong approach. Because stress attacks us mentally and physically we need to respond with mental and physical techniques. The physical mostly revolves around breathing techniques; a specific type of breathing that’s simple enough to learn and switch over to and is hugely powerful. The mental techniques are similar to mindfulness. It’s basically a variation of mindfulness that uses the brain itself to break the spiraling thought patterns that we get into and the negative self-talk we do. How is it different from mindfulness? The game changer, the thing I think that makes the system so powerful, is it is programmed into the subconscious mind. If you’re freaking out, the last thing you’re going to do is sit in a corner and practice some funky breathing method or meditate with your eyes closed. You cannot do that in a business meeting or during an argument with another person. It has to be a technique that is there in the background and operating without your conscious involvement so you can be carrying out your role, whatever that may be. That’s the game changer - to program it into the subconscious mind. In the same way that our physical immune system is completely autonomic; we don’t tell our white blood cells to go and fight a virus. It has to be automatic. I think the same applies for the mental immune system. Find out more here! Lead images: André Musgrove

海の中をのぞくと、そこには陸上とはまったく違う世界が広がっています。色鮮やかな魚、光が差し込む水面、ゆっくりと流れる時間。シュノーケリングは、特別なダイビング資格がなくても、水中の世界を身近に楽しめるアクティビティです。 必要なのは、マスク、シュノーケル、フィン、ラッシュガード、日焼け止め、そして基本的な知識。初めてでも、事前に準備しておけば、家族や友人と安心して海を楽しめます。 この記事では、初心者がシュノーケリングを安全に楽しむための15のコツを紹介します。 初心者がシュノーケリングを楽しむための15のコツ 1. まずは泳ぎに慣れておく シュノーケリングを楽しむためには、泳ぎに慣れていることが大切です。 海ではプールと違い、波や潮の流れがあります。足がつかない場所では、思った以上に体力を使うこともあります。泳ぎに不安がある場合は、旅行前にプールで練習したり、スイミングレッスンを受けたりしておくと安心です。 特に子どもと一緒に楽しむ場合は、浅くて穏やかな場所から始めましょう。 2. 水の中でリラックスする感覚を身につける 泳げることと、水の中でリラックスできることは少し違います。 シュノーケリングでは、力を抜いて水に浮く感覚が大切です。体に力が入りすぎると、呼吸が浅くなったり、すぐに疲れてしまったりします。 まずは浅い場所で、浮く・呼吸する・ゆっくり動く感覚に慣れていきましょう。水に身を任せる感覚がわかると、海の中をより落ち着いて楽しめるようになります。 3. 口で呼吸する練習をする シュノーケリングでは、シュノーケルを通して口で呼吸します。初めてだと少し不自然に感じるかもしれません。 旅行前にプールや浅い海で、マスクとシュノーケルをつけて練習しておくのがおすすめです。顔を水につけた状態で、ゆっくり吸って、ゆっくり吐く。呼吸を急がず、落ち着いて続けることがポイントです。 息苦しさを感じたら無理をせず、顔を上げて休みましょう。 4. 初めてならガイド付きツアーやレッスンを選ぶ 初めてのシュノーケリングでは、ガイド付きツアーやレッスンに参加するのがおすすめです。 道具の使い方、海での安全確認、魚が見えやすい場所、潮の流れの見方などを教えてもらえるため、安心して楽しめます。現地の海をよく知るガイドがいれば、初心者でも無理のない範囲で水中の世界を体験しやすくなります。 5. 自分に合った道具を選ぶ シュノーケリングを快適に楽しむには、道具選びが大切です。 マスクが顔に合っていないと水が入りやすくなり、シュノーケルが合わないと呼吸しにくくなります。フィンもサイズが合わないと、足が痛くなったり、効率よく進めなかったりします。 レンタルする場合も、サイズやフィット感をしっかり確認しましょう。 6. シュノーケルの位置を正しく調整する シュノーケルは、口元から自然に立ち上がる位置に調整します。 水面で顔を下に向けたとき、チューブの先端が水面からしっかり出ていることが大切です。頭を下げすぎたり、横を向きすぎたりすると、水が入りやすくなります。 慣れるまでは、浅い場所で姿勢と呼吸を確認してから沖へ進みましょう。 7. シュノーケルに入った水の抜き方を覚える シュノーケルには、波しぶきなどで少し水が入ることがあります。 その場合は、落ち着いて大きく息を吸い、強めに息を吐いて水を外へ出します。水が残っていると感じるときは、無理に吸い込まず、顔を上げてシュノーケルを外してから呼吸しましょう。 水が入ること自体は珍しくありません。大切なのは、慌てないことです。 8. マスクの曇りを防ぐ マスクが曇ると、せっかくの水中景色が見えにくくなります。 新しいマスクは、使用前に洗って油分を落としておくと曇りにくくなります。海に入る前には、曇り止めを使ったり、軽くすすいだりしておきましょう。 使った後は真水で洗い、しっかり乾かして保管します。 9. ひとりで行かない シュノーケリングは、必ず誰かと一緒に楽しみましょう。 海では、天候や潮の流れが急に変わることがあります。ひとりで行動すると、トラブルに気づいてもらいにくくなります。友人や家族と一緒に入り、お互いの様子を確認しながら楽しむことが大切です。 陸にいる人にも、どこで泳ぐのか、いつ戻る予定なのかを伝えておきましょう。 10. シュノーケリングの記録を残す シュノーケリングを楽しむなら、その日の記録を残しておくのもおすすめです。 どこを泳いだのか、どれくらいの時間楽しんだのか、どのくらい移動したのかを記録しておくと、次回の計画にも役立ちます。Suuntoのダイビングウォッチやスポーツウォッチを使えば、水中や水上でのアクティビティを記録し、あとからSuuntoアプリで振り返ることができます。 Suuntoアプリでは、ダイビングや水中アクティビティのログを見返し、記録を整理することができます。より詳しく活用したい方は、Suuntoアプリでダイビングデータを詳しく振り返る方法も参考にしてみてください。 水中アクティビティをもっと詳しく記録したい方は、Suuntoの最新ダイビングウォッチをチェックしてみてください。 ▶︎最新のSuuntoダイビングウォッチはこちら 11. 潜るときは無理をしない シュノーケリングに慣れてくると、少し潜って魚やサンゴを近くで見たくなるかもしれません。 ただし、息を止めて潜る行為にはリスクがあります。深く潜ろうとしたり、長く息を止めようとしたりするのは避けましょう。潜る場合は、必ずバディと一緒に行い、無理のない浅い範囲から始めてください。 耳に違和感がある場合は、無理に潜らず水面へ戻りましょう。 12. 初めては穏やかな場所を選ぶ 初めてのシュノーケリングでは、波が少なく、風や潮の影響を受けにくい場所を選びましょう。 透明度が高く、浅くて、岸から近い場所だと安心です。天候が悪い日や波が高い日は、無理に入らないことが大切です。 旅行先では、ライフガードのいるビーチや、初心者向けに案内されているスポットを選ぶと安心です。 13. 海の状態を読む 海は日によって状態が変わります。 潮の流れ、風向き、波の高さ、満潮・干潮の時間などを事前に確認しましょう。現地のスタッフやガイドに、その日の海の状態を聞くのもおすすめです。 見た目は穏やかでも、場所によっては流れが強いことがあります。少しでも不安を感じたら、無理をせず予定を変更しましょう。 14. 体調を整えてから入る 海に入る前は、体調を整えておくことも大切です。 十分に水分をとり、空腹すぎる状態や満腹の状態は避けましょう。ビーチに着いたら、軽くストレッチをして体を動かしておくと、泳ぎ始めが楽になります。 日差しが強い場所では、ラッシュガードや帽子、リーフセーフの日焼け止めも活用しましょう。 15. 自分の限界を知る シュノーケリングは楽しいアクティビティですが、無理をしないことが何より大切です。 深い場所が怖い、波が強い、疲れてきた、寒くなってきた。そんなときは、早めに休憩しましょう。子どもや初心者と一緒の場合は、全員が安心して楽しめる範囲で行動することが大切です。 「もう少し行けそう」と思っても、海では余裕を残して戻るくらいが安心です。 Suuntoのダイビングウォッチで、水中の体験を記録しよう シュノーケリングやダイビングをもっと楽しみたいなら、水中での体験を記録できるウォッチを使うのもひとつの方法です。 Suuntoのダイビングウォッチは、ダイビング、フリーダイビング、シュノーケリングなど、水中アクティビティに対応するモデルを展開しています。シュノーケリングをきっかけに、フリーダイビングやスキューバダイビングにも興味が広がったら、専用のダイビングウォッチを選ぶことで、水中での時間をより記録しやすくなります。 記録したデータは、Suuntoアプリであとから振り返ることができます。潜った場所や時間、ログを確認しながら、次の海での体験にも活かしやすくなります。 詳しい活用方法は、Suuntoアプリでダイビングデータを詳しく振り返る方法をご覧ください。 ▶︎最新のSuuntoダイビングウォッチはこちら まとめ｜準備を整えれば、初めてのシュノーケリングはもっと楽しくなる シュノーケリングは、海の世界を身近に楽しめるアクティビティです。 泳ぎに慣れておくこと、呼吸を練習すること、自分に合った道具を選ぶこと、海の状態を確認すること、そしてひとりで行動しないこと。基本を押さえておけば、初めてでも安心して楽しみやすくなります。 無理をせず、海のリズムに合わせて、少しずつ水中の世界に慣れていきましょう。 そして、泳いだ場所や時間、水中での体験を記録したい方は、Suuntoのダイビングウォッチもぜひチェックしてみてください。 ▶︎最新のSuuntoダイビングウォッチはこちら

Over the course of 2021 we’ve had the pleasure of being involved with some excellent adventure films. Now the holiday season is upon us, we decided to curate our favorite short films for you so when you have some downtime soon you can kick back and watch them. Scroll down for our seven favorites! From Rails to Trails Just watching this will make you shiver. Our very own bike lover Antti Laiho and his buddies Timo Veijalainen and Erkki Punttila went on an overnight bikepacking tour in the Finnish Lapland in the middle of winter. The landscapes look like something from a fairytale. Truly magical. Rails to Trails from Kona Bikes on Vimeo. Peak creators Since forever there’s been a connection between creativity and the great outdoors. In this series of films we talk to an artist, a photographer, an architect and a trail builder about their creative process and how the outdoors inspires them. Canary in the coalmine Decorated technical diver, explorer and filmmaker Jill Heinerth explores the veins of the Earth. She sees close up how the impacts of humanity are affecting our planet so considers herself a canary in the coalmine. How fast can Kilian run a vertical k? This film shows just how much the Kilian pushes himself during his lightning fast ascents. He might be the GOAT mountain athlete, but that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park for him. Watch him attempt to break the fastest vertical k record and push his lungs to their limit. Immersed Swedish slopestyle mountain biker Emil Johansson won the 2021 world championship and is now the most successive slopestyle rider in history. But it very nearly wasn’t to be. A mysterious autoimmune disease came close to derailing his dreams. This film is about his journey. Finding myself Suunto ambassador Sami Sauri fell in love with cycling as a teen and says it gave her a new purpose in life. Since then she has done epic bikepacking tours across the US, and elsewhere. When she’s not riding, she might be out surfing or trail running. Arctic Lines season two Finnish freerider Antti Autti has embarked on the second season of his Arctic Lines project, the goal of which is to ride 30 lines above the Arctic Circle. He and his team document each trip and release a film about the experience. Watch as they face brutal cold, the polar night and their physical limits in the pursuit of sweet, sweet rides. Lead images by Jaakko Posti Photography