Cathedral Chamber

Wookey Hole Caves are the birthplace of British cave diving. Whilst the very first recorded dive took place from Chamber 3, The Cathedral Chamber (or Chamber 9) is the base for most modern diving that takes place in the caves.

Much of the Wookey Hole Cave system is underwater. Most chambers could not be reached on foot until recent times. The beach in Chamber 9 provides an ideal launch spot to explore the 1000's of metres of underground waterways and vast caverns beneath the show caves you can visit today.

Clive Westlake

What makes this chamber so convenient for the divers is a wide curve of mud bank above the green water, big enough for people and supplies to remain dry.

It's the thrill of the unknown and finding the impossible that drives the divers on. As you'll see from this beautiful photo of one of the chambers only reached by diving.

Chamber 9 has become a base for all the explorations to follow over the last 30 years. Divers have now explored as far as Chamber 25 (known as the Chamber of Gloom). Where this will lead, noone is sure, but what is certain is that Wookey Hole has many more secrets to reveal before exploration is completed.

Visitors may catch a glimpse of the divers whilst you're in the caves, but you're more likely to see Wild Wookey Participants challenging themselves along the walls of this chamber, climbing and abseiling.

In 2024, A giant moon was hung in Chamber 9. The moon symbolised magic, the limits of human exploration and the art of the impossible. More people have been to the moon than have been to the furthest point in Wookey Hole.

This picture shows a Wild Wookey participant abseiling past the moon, giving you an idea of the size of the installation and the height of the enormous Chamber that housed it.

Often overlooked compared to the fascinating formations in the main cave, the tunnels that link Chamber 9 to the Valley were a huge feat of engineering in the 1970's. Find out more about their fascinating story in the video presented by Cave Guide Neil.