To date Andy has presented on 20 TV Series on BBC1, BBC2, CBBC, Discovery US and The History Channel. He has also produced and directed documentary films for TV, Corporate clients and Film Festivals and been involved in short fiction films as an actor and stuntman. He continues to work as a specialist technical consultant on projects involving underwater, climbing, caving or skydiving filming. Andy spent 10 years in the British Forces as a Paratrooper, Diver and Bomb Disposal Officer, including serving with the Airborne Brigade, Army’s Underwater Bomb Disposal Team and the Maritime Counter Terrorist Group. He was involved in operations in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and The Falklands. After leaving the Forces he spent 4 years working in the security, intelligence and surveillance sector in the UK and Europe, Afghanistan, Pakistan and West Africa. Andy started diving at the age of 12 and has been at it ever since; on operations in the Forces, on commercial vessels, over sunken cities, in caves, deep wrecks and across unexplored reefs. He has a long list of technical diving qualifications, including cave, mixed gas, rebreather and free-diving as well as his professional qualifications as a military and commercial diver and supervisor. His passion is exploration whether it’s exploring new underwater cave systems, new species or new shipwrecks and especially in those area difficult to reach which may require him to combine his elite diving knowledge with his other technical skills. A keen Skydiver and Wingsuiter Andy has had the opportunity to make various films for TV inlcuding performing a HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) jump for BBC’s Cloud Lab, jumping solo from 28,000ft over the Arizona desert with various scientific collection apparatus strapped to his chest, racing a Peregrine Falcon – the fastest animal in the world and strapped engines to his legs to reach over 250mph in freefall. He has competed in Speed Skydiving competitions, the fastest human powered sport in the world, where top competitors can reach speeds of 600kmph. In 2017 he participated in the World Speed Skydiving Championship and is returning in 2018. Andy is also a highly qualified Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors with new routes and first ascents in the UK, Canada and Pakistan. As well as rock climbing around the world he’s ice climbed from Scotland to Greenland and even on icebergs in the Arctic Ocean. He also holds the IRATA Qualification. He holds a number of caving qualification and has worked in and explored cave systems around the world. Although he maintains the best reason to go caving is to reach a cave diving site at the end. Andy is also an experienced Sea-Kayaker having done a number of solo and team projects. He is a trained sea-kayak guide. Growing up in the Highlands, with his Father a Forester, Andy’s playground and back garden was the woods, rivers, loch and wild landscape of the Scottish outdoors. His love for travelling and living in wild places, especially the familiar environments of Britain, encouraged him to learn about the plants, animals and geogrpahy of nature and the resources at one’s disposal. He now resides in The Forest of Dean. “The best way to clear the mind is a day spent chopping wood and then sitting by a fire you’ve made yourself”.
About Andy Torbet
Find out about Andy’s life and career.
The TV Presenter and Film-maker
The Soldier
The Diver
The Skydiver
The Climber
The Caver, Kayaker and Outdoorsman
Andy studied Zoology (BSc Hons) at University before joining the Forces and since leaving has found the time to study for a Diploma in Nautical Archaeology and is currently undertaking a Masters in Archaeology in his ‘spare time’.
Unsurprisingly, given the technical and extreme nature of the work he undertakes, he maintains an interest in physiology, physics and engineering. He is especially interested in Hyper- and Hypo-Baric medicine and physics.
He has is also a member of MENSA, the High IQ Society, and a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society.
