I had been following Martyn’s work for a while, being a bit of a caving weeb myself, and loved being able to learn about his caving career and listen to the many stories that he had gathered from it.

Stepping into his home, I was surrounded by all of these beautiful underwater photographs – it was like being in Wales’ most beautiful gallery. Underwater photography is incredibly difficult, and Martyn was the first to start the techniques of it in the UK.

But that’s just the beginning of this living legend.

Who is Martyn Farr? 

Martyn Farr is, quite frankly, one of Wales’ coolest explorers. He is known around the world for his record-breaking cave dives and exploration of seemingly endless miles of previously undiscovered passages.

Within our interview, he told me all about the beauty of caving, his favourite caves, and lessons learned along the way.

Martyn began caving in 1961 and cave diving at Swansea University in 1971. Within ten years, he had travelled both the length and breadth of the UK and Ireland, had reached a depth record of 60 metres at Wookey Hole, and created a world water for underwater cave penetration in the Bahamas.

Following that, he made the very first cave dive in Borneo, and then the first cave dive using scuba equipment in China. He went through Llangattock Mountain, marking the longest and deepest caving through trip in the British Isles, and has since acted as support diver in the British-led expedition to Pozo Azul for the world’s longest cave diving penetration (5.5 miles).

Frankly, Martyn Farr is a very impressive man.