Television Presenter, 'Superhuman' and Explorer

Monty Halls is one of the countries leading explorers. He was catapulted into the public eye in early 2002 when he led a multi-national team of adventurers and scientists on an expedition to South East India to discover the ruins of a lost civilisation beneath the sea. This was a discovery of global significance, and established Monty as one of the new stars of British exploration.

After a successful eight year career as a Royal Marines Officer, Monty left the services in 1996 to pursue his other great passions ¨ exploration, science and adventure. In the three years that followed, he also studied for a degree in marine biology whilst running projects for organisations such as the British Natural History Museum and the Scientific Exploration Society. His studies resulted in a first class degree in 1999.

His expeditions and media projects have subsequently taken him all over the world. He led the aquatic phase of an expedition in Central America to attempt to be the first team to take an underwater photograph of a rare species of crocodile, a swashbuckling British venture that resulted in some tremendous encounters in some of the most dramatic rainforests on earth. Carlton TV filmed this expedition, with the resultant two part documentary proving a huge ratings success. Later that year he led an anti poaching expedition in a mountain game reserve in northern Malawi, an expedition that resulted in gun battles with poachers followed by an attempt to burn down the teams base camp. He also led a team of kayakers 270 kms up the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, diving and sampling throughout whilst encountering villages that had not seen a white face for decades.

Such success in the world of expedition leadership led to his greatest challenge of all. To lead a multi-national team to the wild shores of south east India to investigate local legends of a sunken city. Here the team of fifty personnel fought against tremendous odds to discover that the legends were true, and that the remains of six temples lay off a storm lashed coast in the remote town of Mahabalipuram. This discovery resounded around the globe, and Monty returned to a media storm and with a new reputation as one of the UKs leading explorers and adventurers. For this and other expeditions he was awarded the Bish Medal by the Scientific Exploration Society for achievements in exploration.

In 2002 he organised and led a small team of divers and adventurers on a complete circle of the globe to seek out the greatest diving encounters in the oceans. The team were charged by great white sharks off Cape Town, swam with whales off Natal, explored caves and caverns in the Pacific, and drifted over some of the greatest reefs in the world. A National Geographic tv documentary was made following this project, and will be aired early in 2004. In late 2003 Monty also led a team on another circumnavigation of the globe, this time seeking out the ten greatest shipwrecks. National Geographic are making a six part series following the team, and both expeditions received massive coverage in the diving and adventure press.

On the back of his expedition work, Monty was asked to take part in the Channel 4 flagship programme Superhumans to be aired on 24th February this year. This programme pits ten of the UKs highest achievers ¨ athletes, leaders, businessmen, composers ¨ against each other in a series of tests devised by experts in human performance. With eight of the ten tests already filmed, Monty is lying second and is widely tipped to take the title in the live final. Channel 4 have also asked Monty to present a major new project chronicling Jules Vernes epic adventure stories. The first series starts filming in January 2004, and is to be aired in May. Follow on projects are also planned.

Monty is writing his first book, a comprehensive international dive guide which is due for publication in August 2004. His second book, a more popular style publication relating the extraordinary story of a single shark attack, is being negotiated at present. He also writes regularly for publications as diverse as BBC Wildlife Magazine, Diver, Canoe and Kayak, Thomas Cook Suitcase Magazine, and various press.