South Africa
Boesmansgat (Bushmansgat)
- Max depth284 m
- CertificationFull cave
- Water temperature≈ 14–24 °Cestimated, no reports yet
- SpecialExperienced divers
Diving and fills
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What it looks like
Boesmansgat, (Bushman's Hole)150 meter dive, on 9-10-2019 Boesmansgat (Bushman's Hole) South Africa The Boesmansgat CAVE DIVING DISASTER | Scary Fascinating Boesmansgat 2024
All 4 videos and posts
Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
Boesmansgat, (Bushman's Hole)150 meter dive, on 9-10-2019 Boesmansgat (Bushman's Hole) South Africa The Boesmansgat CAVE DIVING DISASTER | Scary Fascinating Boesmansgat 2024
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
Boesmansgat is one of the deepest underwater caves in the world and the scene of depth records (1996, 2004, 2022, 2024). Because of the altitude, the deco from the bottom compares to a dive to 339 m at sea level.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
Boesmansgat is one of the deepest underwater caves in the world and the scene of depth records (1996, 2004, 2022, 2024). Because of the altitude, the deco from the bottom compares to a dive to 339 m at sea level.
- Depth and profile
- A pond ~100 m across; the cave entrance is ~20 m deep and the main chamber goes more than 200 m deeper. In May 2024 the bottom was reached at 283.9 m.
- Configuration
- Expedition dive: rebreathers and trimix or hydrogen mixes.
- Gas
- Trimix from 40 m
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 284 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
On the private Mount Carmel hunting farm near Daniëlskuil (Northern Cape), at ~1,450–1,500 m altitude. No published rules for divers: expeditions only by arrangement with the owner. A steep climb down a rock face to the water.
Around Boesmansgat (Bushmansgat)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
News
All (1)
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Fatal accidents in 1993, 1994 and 2005; a deep dive in 2024 was followed by decompression sickness.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 5 Nov 2026.
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