Maria Bollerup's Topics:
Topic 1:
Cave exploration project the “Xunaan-Ha Expedition in Mexico in November 2021”
A project which was supported by Rolex as part of its Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Topic 2:
EXPEDITION BUTENG - 2023 - Preparing for a major expedition
The history of the area (untravelled). Robins discovery of the system and the local interest/use of the water. Rannnva and my history together and our passion for caves and aquifers (and the importance of this aquifer in particularly, locally and internationally).
- The planning of the expedition - Why and how.
- The goals (scientifically, culturally + UNESCO Geopark application process).
- The cooperations (Indonesian government & University faculties). What do they need and how will we provide this.
- The dive team - who are they and what are their roles - making the A-team of highly experienced people and their responsibilities was vital, it is not easy diving.
- The dry team - speleologists mapping and exploring the 2 massive dry chambers, hoping for connections to water.
- The logistical challenges (heavy) - everyone are trained in Mexico on Sidewinder + scooters prior to project, all is shipped to Indo in containers. Permits are heavy. The list is long.
- The media interest - History channel, HBO + 2 different producers (pros and cons of having a documentary created).
- And hopefully finishing with revealing that the expedition is both a flag expedition (we are awaiting approval) and who the main sponsor is.
Maria Bollerup
Explorer, Technical diver & instructor
Maria Bollerup is a Technical Diving Instructor, a rebreather cave diver and an explorer who has traversed the world as a professional diver since the age of 18. Her diving career started in Denmark where her interest in underwater archaeology got her diving archaeological sites at the age of 16, mapping and collecting artefacts on Stone Age villages in cooperation with local museums.
It is her passion for science, in combination with her dedicated career within the diving industry, that has led to her involvement in scientific diving projects. Her latest project was as a team diver on the cave exploration project the “Xunaan-Ha Expedition” in Mexico in November 2021; a project which was supported by Rolex as part of its Perpetual Planet Initiative.
Maria is also part of an on-going cave project in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where cave diving is explorative, desolate and evolves around research, scientific information gathering and water preservation of unique and isolated cave systems.
In the hope of positively influencing future underwater ambassadors, Maria founded and runs Blue Venture Diving; a wholesale dive travel agency focusing on young backpackers from Europe. By providing safe diving and high training standards at inspiring dive centers, to young and inexperienced divers on and off of the beaten path, she seeks to spread interest for our oceans and the conservation thereof. As a female technical diver and an advocate for exploration-based diving, she was chosen as an Ambassador for the global community “Girls That Scuba”, featured in PADI's training materials, selected as a Team diver for Fourth Element and elected as a member of The Explorers Club.
