Andy Torbet

Andy Torbet
Born (1976-06-11) 11 June 1976 (age 48)
Irvine, Scotland
Occupation(s)Adventurer, tv presenter, author
Known forUnderwater exploring, The One Show, Operation Iceberg, The People Remember.

Andy Torbet (born 11 June 1976) is a Scottish underwater explorer, professional cave diver, skydiver, freediver and climber, Film Maker and TV Presenter; most notably the BBC's The One Show,[1] Coast,[2] Operation Iceberg,[3] Operation Cloud Lab,[4] Britain's Ancient Capital,[5] The People Remember ,[6] and the Children's BBC series Beyond Bionic which he also co-Produced [7] and spawned its own computer game called Beyond Bionic-Extreme Encounters.[8]

His first book, Extreme Adventures,[9] was published in 2015 by Bantam Press.[10]

He became a host on the show Fully Charged in April 2020.[11]

Early years

Torbet was brought up in the Scottish Highlands in rural Aberdeenshire. His father was a forester on The Craigston Estate. He attended the University of Sheffield, where he studied Zoology.[12]

Army years

Andy Torbet potholing in the Cave of Skulls, Scotland

Torbet spent 10 years in the British Armed Forces as a Paratrooper, Army Diver, and bomb disposal officer, including serving with the 16 Air Assault Brigade, 3 Commando Brigade, the British Army's underwater bomb disposal team and the maritime counter terrorist group.[13]

He was involved in military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Falkland Islands.

Diving

Torbet took up diving at the age of 12, he has since dived on operations in the British Armed Forces, on commercial vessels, and explored cave systems and ship wrecks for his television and publishing work.

He has a number of technical diving qualifications, including cave, mixed gas, rebreather and free-diving as well as professional qualifications as a military and commercial diver and supervisor.[14]

Torbet's most notable dives include the Cave Of Skulls[15] a pothole system in Meall nan Aighean, and Scotland's deepest pothole at 48 meters; exploring the wreck HMS Wager (1739) off the coast of Gulf of Penas, Patagonia;[16][17] and the discovery in the English Channel of the MV Shoal Fisher, a wrecked World War II merchant ship.

Climbing and skydiving

Torbet is a 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, he also ice climbs and was a presenter on the BBC's award-winning Operation Iceberg[18]

Torbet is a professional skydiver; in 2016, on the BBC's The One Show, he raced a Peregrine falcon in flight while wearing a wingsuit, achieving a win with speeds in excess of 240 mph.[19][non-primary source needed] He also performed a HAHO (High Altitude High Opening) jump for the BBC's Cloud Lab.[20]

His highest jump to date, is 28,000 ft over the Arizona desert, in the United States[21]

Publications

  • Andy, Torbet (2015). Extreme Adventures. Bantam Press. ISBN 978-0593071625.

References

  1. ^ "BBC One, The One Show". BBC.
  2. ^ "BBC Two, Coast". BBC.
  3. ^ "Operation Iceberg: Life and Death of a 'berg". Radio Times.
  4. ^ "Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies review – a scientific romp through the atmosphere". The Guardian. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  5. ^ "BBC Scotland - Britain's Ancient Capital: Secrets of Orkney". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Best daytime programme: The People Remember". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  7. ^ Beyond Bionic (TV Series 2018) - IMDb, retrieved 6 October 2020
  8. ^ Thorgilsson, Ari (12 May 2018). "Beyond Bionic : Extreme Encounters". BBC/CBBC.
  9. ^ "Reviews: Extreme Adventures by Andy Torbet". Divernet.com. 10 August 2016.
  10. ^ Extreme Adventures Andy Torbet. ASIN 059307162X .
  11. ^ Show, office Fully Charged; Bristol; Park, Bath Science; Crescent, Dirac; Green, Emersons; Bristol; Bs16 7fr. "Fully Charged | Clean Energy | Electric Vehicles | Renewable Energy". Fully Charged Show. Retrieved 6 October 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "About | Andy Torbet". andytorbet.com. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  13. ^ "A Man of Extremes". behappymagazine.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  14. ^ "Authors: Andy Torbet". Penguin.co.uk.
  15. ^ "Cave of Skulls". sidetracked.com.
  16. ^ "Wreck Hunting in Patagonia". andytorbet.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  17. ^ "Mount Misery to the Gulf of Pain". Divernet.com.
  18. ^ "Operation Iceberg Team, Andy Torbet". BBC.
  19. ^ "BBC The One Show, Facebook". Facebook.
  20. ^ "Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies review". The Guardian. 24 July 2014.
  21. ^ "The One Show's Andy Torbet for terrifying skydive in new show". Digital Spy. 3 July 2014.