Cave system
Komati Springs
Deepest explored point in the mine workings (an inclined shaft); the open-water pit is about 54-55 m deep.
A flooded former asbestos mine in Mpumalanga with an open-water pit about 55 m deep and multi-level mine tunnels that technical divers have explored to about 186 m.
Komati Springs is an old fibre (asbestos) mine in Mpumalanga, near the Eswatini border, that was shut in the 1970s and filled with water. Locally it is called Badgat, 'bath hole'. The mining left a large open pit, now a lake, and a network of tunnels on several levels that divers enter from the pit wall.
The lake itself is used as an open-water site, with training platforms at 5 m, 9 m and 30 m and a maximum depth of about 55 m. Inside the mine, levels are connected by vertical shafts; the cut passages are roughly 2 m high and 1.5 m wide, with doors, rails and old machinery left in place. Divers follow fixed guidelines (a guideline is a continuous line that leads back to the exit).
South African divers explored the deeper levels over many years: a 1999 report describes lines laid on the level at about 110 m, and later teams extended lines into new passages off the level at about 107 m between 2009 and 2012. The deepest point recorded is an inclined shaft at about 186 m.
Mines are not natural caves. Silt and rust come off the walls and ceilings easily, and visibility inside can fall to near zero. A visiting team reported that only certified, experienced cave divers may enter the workings. Current operator and booking details were not found in any official source.
Water, flow and flooding
The lake stratifies in summer, with about 24 C at the surface, 20 C at 30 m and 16 C near the bottom; in winter PADI reports a constant 16-17 C. Visibility is typically 10-15 m in the lake and up to 40 m in winter, but inside the mine it depends heavily on how much silt and rust has been disturbed.
Why it matters
Accounts from 1999 to 2023 describe Komati Springs as a venue for rebreather and mixed-gas diving and for line-laying exploration of the deeper mine levels; reports from 2009-2012 mention an IANTD-affiliated dive centre on site that mixed gas for divers.
Conditions
Summer stratification from about 24 C at the surface to 16 C at depth; winter about 16-17 C throughout. Lake visibility 10-15 m, sometimes up to 40 m in winter; inside the mine it can drop to near zero when silt or rust is disturbed.
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
Survey and exploration history
| 1972 | The mine was abandoned and flooded, according to a South African diver's account. [2] |
| 1999 | Divers extended the line on the level at about 110 m to roughly 190 m from the base of the shaft. [2] |
| 2009 | Divers found new passages and a room nicknamed the Dragon's Cage off the level at about 107 m. [2] |
| 2012 | Lines were extended in further new passages off the same level. [2] |
Entrances and dive sites
The workings are entered from the wall of the open-water pit; accounts put the entrance at about 12 m (1999) or 18 m (2023).
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (15)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Komati Springs is a former asbestos (fibre) mine that was decommissioned in the 1970s; one diver account gives 1972 as the year it was abandoned and flooded. | Reported | [1] [2] |
| A dive-centre listing says the site was rehabilitated in 2002, removing the signs of mining.Provider claim. | Reported | [3] |
| The site is known locally as Badgat ('bath hole'). | Reported | [2] |
| The open-water pit is about 55 m deep and the mine workings have been explored to 186 m.X-Ray Mag (2023) gives the lake depth as 54 m. | Reported | [4] [2] [3] |
| The site is at about 900-915 m above sea level. | Reported | [4] [1] [2] |
| PADI's site page gives coordinates of -25.92894, 30.71021; rounded here to area level. | Reported | [4] |
| PADI gives about 24 C at the surface, 20 C at 30 m and 16 C at the bottom in summer, and a constant 16-17 C in winter. | Reported | [4] |
| PADI gives typical visibility of 10-15 m, up to 40 m in winter. | Reported | [4] |
| Silt and rust in the mine workings can reduce visibility to near zero when disturbed. | Reported | [1] [2] |
| The workings are on several levels joined by shafts; passages were cut about 2 m high and 1.5 m wide. | Reported | [1] [2] |
| The mine entrance in the pit is given as about 18 m deep in one account and 12 m in a 1999 report. | Sources conflict | [1] [2] |
| A visiting team reported that anyone may dive the open lake, but only certified cave divers with experience and proper equipment may go into the mine.Undated expedition page; no operator or official rule text was found. | Reported | [5] |
| PADI lists training platforms at 5 m, 9 m and 30 m. | Reported | [4] |
| Reports from 2009-2012 mention an IANTD Badgat Dive Centre on site whose staff mixed gas and supported divers.Forum reposts (2016) of 2009-2012 reports; current status unknown. | May be out of date | [2] |
| Current ownership, operator and booking arrangements were not found; the newest account of diving there is from 2023. | Reported | [1] [4] |
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