Martyn Farr (born
Crickhowell
Crickhowell (; cy, Crucywel , non-standard spelling ') is a town and community in southeastern Powys, Wales, near Abergavenny, and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire.
Location
The town lies on the River Usk, on the southern edge ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
, March 3, 1951) is a leading exploratory
cave diver and
caver
Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
, known for his record-breaking cave dives and the exploration of many miles of previously undiscovered underground passages (e.g. in
Ogof y Daren Cilau
Ogof y Daren Cilau is one of several cave systems in the Llangattock escarpment near Crickhowell in south Powys, Wales. The cave was discovered in 1957 and is one of the longest cave systems in the country.
The cave
It is one of the longest sys ...
and
Noon's Hole). As an author and photographer he has written many books on the subject of cave diving history and techniques and caving locations.
Life and career
Farr began caving in 1961 and cave diving in 1971, and within 10 years had established a world record for underwater cave penetration in the Bahamas. He is noted within the cave diving community for his explorations in
Wookey Hole in 1977 and 1982, and for completing the first traverse of
Llangattock Mountain in Wales in 1986, the execution of which was a televised media event, being the longest and deepest caving through trip in the British Isles. In 1978, Farr discovered also the
Pollatoomary
Pollatoomary is the deepest explored underwater cave in Ireland. It has been explored to an underwater depth of .
The explored limit of Pollatoomary is also deeper underwater than that of the terminal Sump (cave), sump in Wookey Hole Caves in So ...
cave in the
Partry Mountains
The Partry Mountains ( ga, Sliabh Phartraí) is a mountain range in County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland.
Geography
The highest peak in the Partry Mountains is Maumtrasna which rises to (682m / 2,238ft). The mountain range overlooks Lough ...
of the Republic of Ireland. In 2008, his student
Artur Kozłowski explored this cave to a depth of , which made it the deepest known cave on the British Isles.
As well as running a cave diving training facility in South Wales, Farr is a regular contributor to diving magazines around the world. Farr has also acted as support diver in some of the world's most notable cave diving penetrations, including the British-led expedition to Pozo Azul in Spain in September 2010, which at of underwater travel is the world's longest cave diving penetration.
Farr is the author of ''
The Darkness Beckons'', regarded as the definitive book on the history of UK cave diving.
The Darkness Beckons "has achieved legendary status" - Diver Magazine (UK)
TDI instructor.
Bibliography
*'' The Darkness Beckons - The History And Development Of Cave Diving'' (1980)
*''The Great Caving Adventure'' (1984)
*''Wookey: The Caves Beyond'' (1985)
*''Darkworld - The Secrets Of Llangattock Mountain'' (1997)
*''The Secret World Of Porth yr Ogof'' (1998)
*''Dan yr Ogof: The Jewel Of Welsh Caves'' (1999)
*''Underground Wales'' (2001)
*''Diving In Darkness - Beneath Rock, Under Ice, Into Wrecks'' (2003)
See also
*
*
References
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farr, Martyn
Living people
1951 births
British cavers
British underwater divers
Cave diving explorers
People from Crickhowell
Welsh explorers
Pioneering technical divers