Monty Halls

Monty Halls is a writer, explorer, television presenter and public speaker. A former Royal Marines officer who worked for Nelson Mandela on the peace process in South Africa, he left the services in 1996 to pursue a career in leading expeditions. Having achieved a First Class Honors degree in marine biology, over the next decade he circumnavigated the globe four times on various projects, leading multi-national teams in some of the most demanding environments on earth. Notable expeditions included an anti poaching project in the high montane grasslands of the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi, the discovery of a sunken city off the coast of Tamil Nadu in India, and a (successful) attempt to find and photograph a rare crocodile species in the mountain pools of the Raspaculo Basin in Central America. In 2002 he was awarded the Bish Medal by the Scientific Exploration Society for his services to exploration.

In terms of television Monty is most well known for his BBC2 Great Escape adventures with his four legged friend, Reuben. In the first series, Monty Halls Great Escape he lived in a tiny bothy on a beach on the west coast of Scotland following in the footsteps of his hero Gavin Maxwell. For the 2nd series Monty Halls Great Hebridean Escape he spent 6 months working as a nature ranger in the Outer Hebrides and the for the 3rd series, Monty Halls Great Irish Escape he lived and worked with the Irish Whale & Dophin Conservation Group.

Most recently Monty presented BBC2's Great Barrier Reef, 3 one hour documentaries exploring this extraordinary underwater eco-system and the largest living structure on the planet.  Produced by the BBC’s Natural History Unit the series is the definitive portrait of this biological miracle, far more ambitious in scope and greater in detail than any previous television project on this subject. 

He continues to run expeditions and diving trips when he has the time between speaking engagements and filming projects. He has written six books, mainly on diving and the marine environment. His hobbies include playing the guitar and playing rugby - both to a mind bogglingly low standard. In the latter he has two shot knees, no pace, and doesn't like tackling and yet remains resolutely optimistic concerning his call up to the national squad.