TV presenter, author and adventurer Monty Halls will be introducing visitors to the GO Diving Show in March to his Big Blue Bag citizen science marine conservation project.
Monty is an ex-Royal Marines Officer who worked for Nelson Mandela during the peace process in the early 1990s. He left the Marines to pursue a career in expeditions, travel journalism and biology, achieving a First Class Honours Degree and becoming qualified as a marine biologist.
His degree was funded by running expeditions, the most notable of which was leading a multi-national team to the discovery of a sunken city off the Indian coast in 2002. During this period he also led four expeditions to Southern Africa, three to Malawi to explore the ecosystem of the lake and investigate poaching activity on the Nyika Plateau, and one to South Africa to dive looking for evidence of prehistoric settlements in cave systems off the Cape. For his work he was awarded the Bish Medal for services to exploration by the Scientific Exploration Society.
In 2003, Monty formed his own expedition company, completing four circumnavigations of the globe over the next four years, seeking out the greatest encounters in the ocean. This brought him to the attention of television producers, being head-hunted as a competitor in the flagship Channel 4 show Superhumans, a test of elite performers, competing in a series of challenges devised by the QinetiQ testing centre. Monty won this competition, and was in demand to present further series for Channel 4, National Geographic, the History Channel, Channel 5, and the BBC.
He is best known for his three BBC2 series Great Escapes, where he lived on the west coast of Scotland and Ireland with his dog Reuben. He also presented the multi-award-winning series Great Barrier Reef.
Monty has written several books, and is a regular contributor to magazines and newspapers, many of them communicating his enthusiasm for the natural world. He is also an Ambassador for various conservation groups and was awarded an honorary Doctorate by Plymouth University.
The Big Blue Bag
The Big Blue Bag Project is designed to empower individuals of all ages and from all walks of life to directly contribute to the protection of waterways and oceans. Participants/communities will be provided with a specially designed ‘Big Blue Bag' that contains easy-to-follow protocols, enabling them to collect vital data on marine health, including microplastic pollution, species biodiversity, water temperature, and coastal debris. The collected data will be uploaded to a global, open-access database, contributing to vital research that informs conservation efforts around the world.
The GO Diving Show
The GO Diving Show – the only consumer dive and travel show in the UK – returns to the NAEC Stoneleigh on 1-2 March 2025, just in time to kick off the new season, and promises a weekend full of interactive, educational, inspirational and fun content.
As well as the Main Stage – this time headlined by TV star, author and adventurer Steve Backshall, making a welcome return to the GO Diving Show after a few years away, along with NASA-trained NEEMO Aquanaut and Head of Scientific Research at DEEP Dawn Kernagis, fellow TV presenter, author and perennial favourite Monty Halls, Dr Timmy Gambin, who will be discussing Malta's rich maritime and wartime heritage, and the dynamic duo of explorers Rannva Joermundsson and Maria Bollerup, who will be talking about their recent Expedition Buteng in Indonesia – there are again dedicated stages for UK diving, technical diving, underwater photography and inspirational tales. Andy Torbet will be MCing the Main Stage once again, as well as giving a presentation on the challenges of shooting technical diving for TV shows.
Along with the stages, there are a host of interactive elements – the ever-popular Cave, the giant trydive pool, the immersive virtual reality tech-wreck dive, breath-hold workshops and lining-out drills, marine biology zone and, new for 2025, your chance to try your hand at wreck mapping with the Nautical Archaeology Society and their ‘shipwreck' – all scattered among an ever-increasing array of stands from tourist boards, manufacturers, training agencies, resorts, liveaboards, dive centres, retailers and much more.
This year also sees the NoTanx Zero2Hero competition taking centre-stage. This competition, aimed at newbie freedivers, will see an initial 12 candidates undergo training with Marcus Greatwood and the NoTanx team in London in late-February. Then five selected finalists will compete at the GO Diving Show over the March weekend, including static apnea sessions in the pool, to find the overall winner, who will get a week-long trip to Marsa Shagra Eco-Village, courtest of Oonasdivers. Click here to register for your chance to compete.
Advance tickets now available!
Buy your day ticket now for £17.50 + booking fee and be ready for an educational, exciting and inspirational experience! Or with so many speakers over the two days, plus all the interactive displays and exhibitors to visit, why not make it a weekend, and snap up a two-day ticket for £25 + booking fee? Group ticket prices for 10+ people are also available if you are coming with your centre/club members. Book tickets on Go Diving Show website.
And as always, the ticket price includes complimentary parking. And under-16s go free of charge, so bring the kids along for a fabulous family day out!
