Global Dive Team - Jolanda Spronck
Jolanda Spronck
Location: Bilzen, Belgium
Occupation: Lawyer
Scuba Diving Since: 1990
Favorite Local Dive: Mines in Belgium
Favorite Dive Location: Flooded caves
An Interview with Jolanda Spronck
Why did you decide to take the giant stride into the oceans?
Actually, I don´t really dive in the oceans. Not that I don´t like it; when I started to dive, I dived in oceans and in lakes but it didn’t take long for my husband and I to discover underground caves and mines and we got hooked.
How has diving changed your life?
The reason for learning to dive was that we signed up for a caving expedition to the Philippines and wanted to be prepared in case we found promising sumps in the caves and could continue the exploration. These days we dive into flooded caves where the water starts at the entrance and also in dry caves that have sumps. In this case you have to carry your diving gear through the cave until you reach the sump, which is sometimes quite a challenge for me as a woman.
What kind of diving do you like to do?
Cave diving.
Tell us about one of the most amazing experiences you have had underwater?
We were part of a cave diving expedition in northern Spain, where we were participating as support divers for the divers that were trying to push the limits. One of the best experiences was to scooter through these huge galleries, hearing only the sound of your DPV. Another amazing experience was on the same expedition, when the push divers came back from a long trip to the end of the cave. Our job was to dive down into the sump to see if they were ok during their decostops.
At the moment we are preparing for a new expedition to the same cave in August 2022. We have been invited to participate as support divers again and my husband also as an underwater photographer/videographer.
Where are some of your favorite places underwater?
Lot and Ardeche in France.
What is your advice to someone considering diving?
Diving is a great hobby, but it is not for everyone and some people cannot dive as a result of physical conditions. There is much more to it than just floating in beautiful tropical water; being underwater is a hostile environment for humans. It is essential to have a proper introduction to diving, do some dives in different circumstances to see if this really is your thing. After that you can decide if you want to continue your training and buy your equipment.
What would you tell people about the oceans?
That is easy, please be careful with our oceans! And not just our oceans, our environment is not only there for our pleasure. We have ignored the problems we are causing for too long already.
What does diving mean to you?
For me diving means a way to reach places I would not be able to reach or enter as a “dry” caver and to discover a world that is normally hidden from humans.
What's your favorite thing in your dive bag?
That would be my Scubapro drysuit! This suit is so comfortable, getting into it as well as wearing it. Our diving is quite demanding and I've already had my suit for more than 5 years.