Dirty Dozen Special Guest diver and James Bond's new stuntman, Andy Torbet, will be joining us on our January 2022 expedition to Truk Lagoon. We caught up with Andy to chat about all things wreck and exploration.
You’re known as an adventurer and explorer, both on land and underwater. Was diving an extension of your drive to explore or did it prompt it?
That’s a good question, but hard to answer. I think I always wanted to be a diver, even from the age of 3. According to my mother, I would practice swimming across the living room carpet from a very young age.
I would say that the instinct to explore started early. It’s instinctive to human nature, this need to figure out what’s behind this rock or that bend. When we’re younger that instinct is strong but as we get older and gain more responsibilities, the desire to explore drops away somewhat for many people.
And when did you first start diving?
When I was 12 I joined my local BSAC club in Aberdeen. At the time you weren’t allowed to start diving until 14. So for two years, I went out on trips in and around Aberdeen as a snorkeller. When I did start diving, on some of my first dives I had a badly fitted wetsuit and was coming out of the dives with blue nails and blue lips!
Apart from Truk Lagoon, any bucket-list dive destinations or explorations you’re keen to complete?
There are so many… Bikini Atoll, Galapagos, I’ve haven’t dived in the cenotes in Mexico yet. Beyond that, there are still unexplored cave systems in India, Papua New Guinea, and Madagascar.
You’re a Special Guest diver for Dirty Dozen’s January 2022 trip to Truk. This is a recreational trip, so do you think you might don a single tank for a few of the dives?
I’ll dive with a single tank for the entire trip. It would be a bit strange and too different if I’m rebreather diving and the other divers are on singles. One of the points of this trip is to open Truk up to recreational divers, there’s a lot of tech in Truk but with most of the wrecks within recreational depths, there’s no reason why everyone can’t experience the diving there.
DD: And when was your last single-tank dive?
Years and years ago. 95% of the time I’m on CCR, and the other 5% I’m on OC tech for when space is tight in caves and so on.
There’s a lot to be said for single-tank diving, throw the tank on your back and jump in. Almost like spa-retreat diving. I’m looking forward to it.
So, not everyone can say they really are Action Man, but you voiced the character, what was that experience like?
It was really good fun. The film was created for the Action Man toy’s 50th anniversary and was made using stop-motion animation. The BBC called me up to offer me the voice role and I was happy to take it. My brother and I always had Action Man when we were kids so it was a great opportunity.
DD: And you have kids yourself, Andy?
Yes, I have a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. The 4-year-old has seen it already and when the youngest is a bit older we’ll show it to him, too.
We understand that you’ve moved on to being a different kind of action hero, this time as James Bond’s stunt double. Without giving away too much, were there any challenges in this position as hard as those faced on deep exploration dives?
They are two very different scenarios. During filming, we’re working together as a large team with dedicated stunt coordinators and it’s a real team effort. With diving, the team is generally small and for the most part you need to be responsible for your own safety.
What’s your all-time favorite wreck dive, out of those you’ve done so far?
The Brittanic, the Titanic’s sister ship was good. It’s 120m deep, so not too far down, and the wreck is in great condition. I dived that as part of a BBC film.
But there were some wrecks I discovered in the English Channel which had never been dived before, merchant and fishing vessels. It’s different because people had been on the Brittanic before but these wrecks in the Channel, we were the first people there.
DD: How was the vis in the Channel?
Terrible. At 70 m deep it was pitch black. It was myself and a cameraman so with the light from the camera we were getting maybe 2m visibility.
And if you had to choose between cave diving and wreck diving, which would you go for?
Whichever was undiscovered. So it could be a virgin cave for a virgin wreck. A lot of the time there’s historical significance in sites, which is a consideration as well. Ah, it’s really an impossible question to answer because there are so many factors that make a dive worth doing.
Most memorable diving experience to date?
Tough question… Three friends and I went to dive off the coast of Yonaguni island to see the sunken Yonaguni Monument — a structure that most people think is manmade but is completely natural. I think what made it so good was that we were three best friends on the same job with no other divers in the water, and we were just having a ball.
There was a ripping current and we were hanging on in places. Lots of fun.
And finally, a burning question... Yourself and Aron collaborated during Monty Halls’ Dive Mysteries in Egypt and Janne Suhonen’s Dive Odyssey in Finland, is he a good buddy?
Yes. What you need in a dive buddy is the knowledge that they are capable of doing the dive that needs to be done. Like myself, Aron has a broad range of experience, not just cave or wreck, but a real mixture, all those skills are useful in varied situations. He’s also open and upfront about any concerns he has before a dive. As a dive buddy, he’s spot-on.
Want to Dive With 007's Doppelgänger?
This is your chance. Andy will be joining our January 2022 recreational expedition to Truk Lagoon. We still have a few spots left but are filling up quickly. Get in touch with us to get onboard!
