BIOGRAPHY

International explorer, photographer, author, diver, and television host Josh Bernstein has traveled more than 1,000,000 miles by train, plane, bus, bike and camel to over 65 countries, exploring the biggest mysteries of our planet in pursuit of knowledge and discovery.

Josh has traced the Ark of the Covenant from the caverns of Jerusalem to the mountains of Ethiopia, searched for the Holy Grail in the bowels of Nazi Germany, and communed with tribal chiefs in the darkest jungles of the Amazon Rainforest. He has ventured deep underground with NASA scientists to explore the origins of life on Earth and has hunted with alleged cannibals by moonlight in the forests of Papua New Guinea—all in a quest to uncover some of the most fascinating mysteries of our planet. (For a complete list of Josh’s past expeditions, click here.) 

Josh’s television career began in 2005, when he debuted as the host of a new adventure-archaeology series called Digging for the Truth on The History Channel. The series quickly became the highest-rated original series in the network’s history, and Josh continued to host “Digging” for two more record-breaking seasons. In 2007, Josh moved from The History Channel to Discovery Channel, where he served as host and executive producer of Into The Unknown with Josh Bernstein. Josh is currently a contributing correspondent for NBC’s TODAY show and is developing a number of new projects to be announced shortly.
 
In addition to his work on television, Josh is also the president and CEO of BOSS, the Boulder Outdoor Survival School.  Based in the small town of Boulder, Utah, BOSS is the oldest and largest wilderness survival school in the world.  Josh first attended BOSS as a student in 1987 and, over the past 25 years, he has advanced through the ranks, becoming president & CEO of the company in 1997. At BOSS, participants challenge themselves on survival courses up to one month in length, learning primitive skills like how to make fire without matches, build shelter from local materials, and turn river rocks into cutting edges. Under Josh’s direction, BOSS has consulted on many television and Hollywood productions, including a number of reality shows and all of the island survival scenes for Cast Away starring Tom Hanks.

Born and raised in New York City, Josh has two degrees from Cornell University (BA, Anthropology & Psychology). After graduating college, he spent a year in a post-graduate program in Jerusalem studying, among other things, mysticism and ancient texts.

Josh is a fellow of The Explorers Club and The Royal Geographical Society and a patron of the American Museum of Natural History.

When not traveling, Josh splits his time between an apartment in New York City and a yurt in Southern Utah.  His hobbies and interests include technical SCUBA diving (cave and wreck), photography, and restoring classic Land Rovers and Land Cruisers.

Certifications & Training
American Red Cross – CPR/AED Adult
American Red Cross – Standard First Aid
International Association of Nitrox & Technical Divers (IANTD) – Cave Diver
International Association of Nitrox & Technical Divers (IANTD) – Nitrox Diver
Personal Survival Techniques (STCW)
Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) – Emergency Oxygen Provider
Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) – Master Diver
Technical Diving International (TDI) – Advanced Wreck Diver
Technical Diving International (TDI) – Deco Procedures Diver
Technical Diving International (TDI) – Evolution Air Diluent Diver
Wilderness Medicine Institute - Wilderness First Responder (Expired)

Clubs, Professional & Charitable Organizations
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Member)
American Academy of Underwater Sciences (Member)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (Patron)
American Museum of Natural History (Supporter/Patron)
Divers Alert Network (Member)
Mountainfilm Festival (Supporter)
National Association for Cave Divers (Member)
National Press Photographers Association (Member)
National Speakers Association (Professional Member)
The Archaeological Institute of America (Member)
The Explorers Club (Fellow)
The National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section (Member)
The New York Underwater Photographic Society (Member)
The Royal Geographical Society (Fellow)
The Sierra Club (Lifetime member)

Countries Visited - 65 and counting…
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands (Grand and Little), Chile, China, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Palestinian Territories, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Serbia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Vatican City, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (US), Wales, Yemen, Zimbabwe