Cave diving · Africa
Cave diving in South Africa
South African cave diving happens inland, in dolomite sinkholes and a flooded mine. Boesmansgat in the Northern Cape is the best known: a very deep sinkhole that has hosted several depth-record dives, including the current Guinness record for the deepest scuba dive by a woman. Komati Springs, a flooded former asbestos mine in Mpumalanga, and the Wondergat sinkhole in North West Province are used by local technical and cave divers.
How access works
The documented sites are on private land or are run as private dive venues. Boesmansgat is on a private game farm and its documented dives were organised expeditions. Diving at the inland venues is usually arranged through South African clubs and schools, some of which teach cave courses under the CMAS system (named 'Cave Zone I' and 'Cave Zone II' by one club). No national permit scheme for cave diving was found.
A general summary; each site page gives its own dated access information.
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Cave systems
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Entrances and dive sites
| Site | Cave system | Type | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoesmansgatMount Carmel farm, between Kuruman and Danielskuil | Boesmansgat | Sinkhole | Private: owner permission required | |
| Komati Springsnear the Eswatini border | Komati Springs | Flooded mine | Access status not verified | |
| Wondergatoutside Mahikeng (Mafikeng) | — | Sinkhole | Access status not verified |
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Dive centres and guides
| Provider | Where | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Somewhere Out There Diving (SWOT) | Gauteng | 2026-10-14 |
A listing is not an endorsement.
Every fact on this page, with its source (5)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Boesmansgat is a flooded dolomite sinkhole in the Northern Cape that has been the venue of extreme-depth dives since the late 1980s. | Reported | [1] [2] |
| Guinness World Records lists Karen van den Oever's 246.56 m dive in Boesmansgat on 2022-10-27 as the deepest scuba dive by a woman. | Verified | [3] |
| Komati Springs in Mpumalanga is a flooded former asbestos (fibre) mine dived by technical and cave divers. | Reported | [4] [5] |
| Boesmansgat lies on Mount Carmel, a private game farm near the Kuruman-Danielskuil road. | Reported | [6] [7] |
| A South African club lists CMAS 'Cave Zone I' and 'Cave Zone II' courses and names Komati Springs and Wondergat as trip venues. | Reported | [8] [9] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction