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Cave Diving pioneer Martyn Farr releases incredible footage of undiscovered cave in New Zealand
Cave diving pioneer Martyn Farr has discovered a cave half a mile underground, posting incredible footage of the discovery online.
Farr, 63, plunged to the depths of this previously undiscovered cave in New Zealand through a 350-feet-long underwater passage, before emerging into an incredible display of stalactites and stalagmites. He made his way though a three mile-long system of underground tunnels carrying 65lb of equipment to reach the never-before-seen cave.
Martyn, who is from Crickhowell in South Wales, is world renowned as a caver and cave diver. He is responsible for the discovery of miles of cave passage in many countries and is internationally acclaimed for his prolific writing and stunning photography. Caving from the age of ten and discovering new caves by the age of 16, Martyn remains as passionate as ever.
Farr spent around nine hours in total underground and captured the only footage of the extraordinary place, which he called ‘Avalon Hall’ after the mystical island from the legend of Britain’s King Arthur.
“Finding something as special as Avalon Hall is very much every cave explorer’s dream,” said Martyn.
“Being the first to find something special or unique is a quite incredible feeling. I have never lost the passion for this. The name speaks volumes about the beauty and grandeur of the place.”
It is a challenge to find anything new and previously undiscovered in the present age, but underground it is a different story.
“We are constantly finding new stuff,” Martyn said. “Now it’s wide open and we have a system of passages running to over three-miles in length – with many more miles still to come.”
Avalon Hall is the latest find in a system of new caves ultimately draining to the famous Waikoropupu Spring system, near Takaka, located at the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island.
Commonly known as ‘Pupu Springs’ the place is a spiritual centre for New Zealand’s indigenous population of Maoris, whose own legends tell of the healing properties of the water.
However, for cave divers like Martyn who reach places never before reached by another human, the spring can be a potentially deadly place.
“If you are cave diving you only have a limited supply of gas, in this case compressed air,” he said. “Hypothermia in the ten degree temperature is always a concern.
“If you are caving beyond a dive then you really must not get injured because you need to be fully mobile, fit and healthy to kit yourself up and dive out.
“Drowning is the worst that can happen – the world of caves is packed with potential danger for the untrained or inexperienced. We all know this, so we prepare thoroughly and take care.
“My philosophy in this respect is simple – Don’t have the accident.”
Here’s the footage:
[youtube id=”GeQn0xl0bZc” width=”100%” height=”400px”]
To find out more about Martyn and the cave diving courses he offers, visit www.farrworld.co.uk.
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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