Fontaine du Truffe

I took a deep breath and ducked my head under the water, the visibility was terrible, I couldn’t see my hands, nothing but a milky vista filled my vision. I ran my hands down the root of a tree and let the air out of my dry-suit. My video camera was running and I was conscious not to let it bang against the stone.. (after all I was using my “cheap” lens) as I descended downwards towards a place I had been told was there and that the visibility would improve.

Just as I was beginning to consider I had descended in the wrong place or had perhaps moved away from a vertical descent the water began to clear and a semi-circular dark opening loomed up at me. I flicked on my hand-mounted halogen light, checked my helmet-mounted Q40 and kicked my way gently into the little opening. The beginning of my first ever cave dive in France and the end of a long journey.

Extended range cave diving

“Hello Boy !” greeted me as the door opened and my hand is squeezed to the point of pain.

This is the usual greeting I receive when visiting Martyn Farr at FarrWorld, the home of one of cave diving’s best known and experienced proponents.

It seems like a long time since I first met Martyn, over 3 years now, but he doesn’t really change, still vertically challenged, still as fit as the proverbial butchers dog and still a fascinating and bewitching orator. I first attended his Cavern Course and then progressed through Intro Cave and Full Cave until I was a qualified cave diver… what a scary thought that was.