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See some of the photos from Andy’s adventures

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Wildlife

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Freediving inside the Blue Hole in Malta. . . . #d

Freediving inside the Blue Hole in Malta.
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#diving #adventure #underwater #freediving #diver #malta

The part 2 to our article for @baileyofbristol on

The part 2 to our article for @baileyofbristol on our Month on The Med trip this summer camping on the French Riviera.
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The second part contains a few top tips on logistics.
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Link in the bio.
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Photos by Miss @beckibigginsmusic or me.
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#camping #vanlife #vanlifer #camp #outdoors #summer #greatoutdoors

Another quick cut from our cavediving trip to@test

Another quick cut from our cavediving trip to@test out some cameras and rigs.
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A nice bit of DPV piloting from @richstevenson.uk to capture the side-by-side shots with a big camera and monitor set up@in his DPV.
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#diving #cavediving #cave #dive #underwater #cameras

Investigating caves on a single breathe . . . . #c

Investigating caves on a single breathe
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#cavediving #diving #cave #adventure #dive #diver #freediving #underwater #breath #breathe

Flying through the underwater cave systems of Fran

Flying through the underwater cave systems of France.
Being pursued by @richstevenson.uk
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#cavediving #cave #underworld #water #diving #flying #rocky

Carrying kit back to the van after cave diving - t

Carrying kit back to the van after cave diving - the hardest bit of the job.
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Camera by me and the @insta360
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#diving #cavediving #cave #adventure #dive #diver #underwater #kit #gym #fitness #fitforadventure

Exiting a cave entrance that lies at the bottom of

Exiting a cave entrance that lies at the bottom of a river bed in rural France.
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#cave #cavediving #diving #water #underwater #surface #france #river #air #breathe

The end of a long day. . Traveling through the da

The end of a long day.
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Traveling through the day and night to get to Southern France.
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Then we dived into a cave system with its entrance through a hole in a river bed.
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Not everything went to plan. As is likely on shake out and test days. That’s the whole point of these days.
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As long as we can learn the lessons, improve and come back better tomorrow then the time is well invested.
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Photo by Rich Stevenson
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#cavediving #cave #diving #adventure #test #testing

Instagram post 18304194385200957

Instagram post 18304194385200957

Myself and @richstevenson.uk are heading off to Fr

Myself and @richstevenson.uk are heading off to France for a week of cave diving, kit testing, camera and lens tests and generally just have a play in some of the incredible underground river systems of France.
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Expect daily reports from the darkness next week.
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The road trip starts Sunday night.
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Photo by @martinrhartley
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#cavediving #diving #filming #underwater #underground #cave

What goes in must come out. . Collecting the camer

What goes in must come out.
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Collecting the camera after some self-filming.
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#filming #selfie #cave #cavediving #freediving #breath #breathe #extreme

When we were out in Malta, between all the fun tha

When we were out in Malta, between all the fun that just comes with being in the sea, I did a bit of snorkel/freedive training with the boys.
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This is the most accessible way to see the underwater world. Age and ability are irrelevant. It’s cheap and simple.
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Kids have to be older to learn to SCUBA dive but can start on this journey as soon as they can float.
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They’ll be plenty more content about trying out or starting snorkelling or freediving in the future.
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#kids #parent #snorkel #snorkelling #snorkeling #freediving @bsacdivers @visitmaltauk @fourthelementdive

We’re out in Malta right now but my revalue blog

We’re out in Malta right now but my revalue blog for @baileyofbristol is up now covering the Part 1 to our Month on The Med.
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During the summer we took the campervan to the South coast of FrAnce to camp on the beach and live the simple life by (and in) the sea.
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Link in the bio.
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#vanlife #camping #camp #vanlifer #family #summervibes

A little video, shot by me on the @insta360, in a

A little video, shot by me on the @insta360, in a cave in Malta today.
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#freediving #cavediving #cave #caves #freedive #diving #malta #visitmalta

This popped up in my iPhone memories thing. No ide

This popped up in my iPhone memories thing. No idea why as I’m pretty sure it was done in November. 2008.
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One of my best/worst ideas. Creating the 3 Lakes’ Challenge . To dive the highest lakes in Scotland, England and Wales in 24hours.
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Many have taken up the challenge since. But it was myself and my friend @montyhalls.seachange who did it first.
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And we’re still mates. Which proves stupidity really has no shelf life.
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Photo by Lynwen Griffiths/Brown
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#diving #hiking #lakes #mountains #outdoors #challenge

I gave a short talk on snorkelling while hosting t

I gave a short talk on snorkelling while hosting the @bsacdivers conference at the weekend and this seemed to be the shot that garnered the most questions during the break.
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While taking our @baileyofbristol van into the Sahara Desert for bailey’s Sahara Challenge I stopped off in the last body of water before you enter the great sand sea.
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The water was surprisingly cold against the arid heat of the surface but the water was full of life.
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It’s surprising what you can find beneath the surface.
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#vanlife #camping #desert #snorkel #snorkeling #diving #freediving #ad

As well as hosting this weekend’s @bsacdivers co

As well as hosting this weekend’s @bsacdivers conference I jumped up to give a short talk and it included mention of kit. Specifically using the right kit for the right job.
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Whether it be snorkels, SCUBA or rebreather or, in the case of a dive into an active blowhole during a storm a few years ago, motocross body armour and a white water kayak helmet (which went on to become my go to cave diving helmet).
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These shots show the walk in, abseil down into the maelstrom and the exit from the shore as well as me finally laughing at the ridiculousness of it all and, on this attempt, my failure.
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But I didn’t die. So that’s nice.
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#diving #extreme #blowhole #blow #hole #storm #oceans

Tonight on @natgeouk and @natgeo I’m investigati

Tonight on @natgeouk and @natgeo I’m investigating the Dutch response to the potential German invasion during WW2 in the next episode of Defending Europe.
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They used the low lying nature of the land and their plentiful supply of water (emphasised by the amount it rained during filming) to their advantage. These two features are usually considered problems in the country. Turning a negative to a positive.
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In this shot I’m taking shelter in one of the German bunkers which was completely flooded.
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Find out more tonight.
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Photo courtesy of @natgeo @natgeouk
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#ww2 #wwii #military #militaryhistory #defendingeurope #dutch #netherlands #worldwar2

I have been, and will continue to, post some of my

I have been, and will continue to, post some of my favourite snorkelling and freediving spots.
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Snorkelling is a simple, cheap way to access our underwater world and can be done at almost any age.
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One recommendation is night snorkelling where even simple dives take on a new look. And many animals are most likely spotted out and about at night (octopus and lobsters being 2 good examples).
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This shot, taken by my friend Dan Bolt, shows Swanage Pier lights above the surface and me underneath.
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But take a torch. It’s dark down there.
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#snorkel #snorkeling #freediving #diving #night #dark #octopus

A quick cave dive to test a camera. . And a fish.

A quick cave dive to test a camera.
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And a fish.
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#cavediving #diving #adventure #cave #darkness

Caption competition - fill in the missing words. .

Caption competition - fill in the missing words.
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This is a screen grab from The Finland episode of Defending Europe which drops on @natgeouk and @natgeo tonight in the UK.
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I visited the islands around Helsinki to investigate how they used to defend the capital@and country as well as diving on a shipwreck to discover its story.
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As you can tell from this screenshot from the film the underwater visibility was not spectacular but I managed to see enough to understand the reason for this intentional sinking.
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But what was “a lot bigger…” ?
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#history #diving #shipwreck #finland #militaryhistory

I recently gained access to an abandoned mine with

I recently gained access to an abandoned mine with flooded levels.
So, I went to recce where the diving starts and it gave me the chance to test out some new solo filming camera.
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#caves #mine #history #urbanexploration #cavediving #caving #solo

I’ve been handed out, normally solicited, advice

I’ve been handed out, normally solicited, advice for places to freedive and snorkel in the UK this summer. And although it looks like@our brief British summer is over a friend recommended I post some of the best places to give folk ideas anyway.
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Snorkelling is the cheapest, easiest way to access to underwater world and really all you need is a pair of goggles.
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These pictures are one of my favourites spots - The River Dart in Devon. Snorkelling and freediving isn’t limited to the sea. We have plenty of lakes and rivers that are worth delving into with clear waters.
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Be careful to swim@in them@in benign conditions rather than when they’re tumultuous white water (unless you really know what you’re doing). You can drift down, swim back upstream or get out and walk back up the bank, then have another go.
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All photos by my friend Dan Bolt.
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#snorkel #snorkelling #river #underwater #adventure

Apparently the correct way to present these are Be

Apparently the correct way to present these are Before, During and After. But this is During, Before, a bit more During (look how clear the water is), more During (lunch break underground) and, finally, After.
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A spot of solo abandoned mine investigation for future cave/mine diving and testing some cameras (all photos were selfies) for an upcoming solo project.
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#caving #urbanexplorer #solo #adventure #cavdiving.

The boys made their own bushcraft lunch. . NOTE- K

The boys made their own bushcraft lunch.
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NOTE- Kids can learn to use axes, knives and fire safely if they’re taught properly. We don’t need to keep them away from these away from these useful tools and skills just teach them how to do it safely.
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#dadlife #kids #bushcraft #camping

…because every 9 year old should, at some point,

…because every 9 year old should, at some point, get the opportunity to push their father out of a Bulgarian Hot Air Balloon.
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Makes sense to me.
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#skydiving #balloon #stunt #parenting #push #skydiver #bulgaria

Thank you to everyone who came along to my Extreme

Thank you to everyone who came along to my Extreme Camping talk at @torchlightfest this weekend.
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And thank you to those who came and listened to me and m’lady @beckibigginsmusic talk family adventures and camping with kids.
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And to those who joined her Campfire Sing Along session.
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Another great weekend.
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#speaker #festival #extreme #adventure #camping

The moment when The Explorer and The Aquanaut meet

The moment when The Explorer and The Aquanaut meet.
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From our 2018 film Dive Odyssey, produced and filmed by @diversofthedark
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A story of an underwater Explorer meeting an otherworldly aquanaut meeting in a mystic, submerged labyrinth beneath the frozen Earth.
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Filmed in Finland.
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#dive #diver #scifi #cavediving #explorer #aliens #alien

A photo drop from our Month on The Med. . A family

A photo drop from our Month on The Med.
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A family of four on the French Riviera for four weeks. In the sea most of the day, a lot of Vitamin D (even I got a tan and I’m from the Scottish Highlands).
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It was great to spend some time doing very little but freediving, hanging out with the family and drinking the odd glass of wine.
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But I’m back now and tomorrow I’m back on the road filming before heading to @torchlightfest next weekend where I’ll be delivering some talks on extreme and family camping. I might see some of you there.
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#camping #ad #family #sea #diving #freediving

Freediving in The Med. . Coming across something a

Freediving in The Med.
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Coming across something a little unusual…
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#freediving #dive #archaeology #history #diving #underwater