Flooded mine
Komati Springs
A flooded asbestos-mine pit in Mpumalanga used as an open-water lake to about 55 m, with an entrance into multi-level mine workings for qualified cave divers.
Komati Springs combines an open-water lake, the flooded pit of a former fibre mine, with an entrance into the mine's tunnels. The lake has training platforms at 5 m, 9 m and 30 m and reaches about 55 m.
The mine entrance lies on the pit wall at roughly 12-18 m. Inside, levels joined by shafts continue to about 186 m. A visiting team reported that only certified, experienced cave divers may enter the workings, while the open lake is used for general diving and training.
The environment
Fresh water with summer layering from about 24 C at the surface to 16 C at depth, and 16-17 C in winter. The lake is typically 10-15 m visibility; in the mine, cut tunnels about 2 m by 1.5 m, doors, rails and machinery, with silt and rust that can reduce visibility to near zero.
Conditions
Up to 40 m visibility in winter in the lake. Inside the mine, visibility depends on how much silt and rust is disturbed.
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
Facilities
Earlier accounts describe a dive base in a former mine house with compressors and mixed-gas filling, pontoons and a decompression platform; current status unconfirmed.
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (9)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The open pit is about 55 m deep and the mine workings reach about 186 m.X-Ray Mag gives 54 m for the lake. | Reported | [1] [2] |
| The mine entrance is given as about 18 m (2023) or 12 m (1999 report). | Sources conflict | [3] [2] |
| Summer about 24 C at the surface to 16 C at the bottom; winter 16-17 C throughout. | Reported | [1] |
| Typical visibility 10-15 m, up to 40 m in winter. | Reported | [1] |
| Rounded from coordinates published by PADI. | Reported | [1] |
| A visiting team reported that the open lake may be dived by anyone but only certified, experienced cave divers may go into the mine. | Reported | [4] |
| Entry into the mine workings is reported to be limited to certified cave divers with experience and suitable equipment.Undated expedition page; no official rule text found. | Reported | [4] |
| Accounts describe a former mine house used as a dive base with compressors and mixed-gas filling, pontoons and a decompression platform.Undated expedition page and 2009-2012 reports; current facilities not confirmed. | May be out of date | [4] [2] |
| No current official operator or booking page was found. | Reported | [3] [1] |
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