Boesmansgat
Map
LocationDaniëlskuil, Northern Cape
Coordinates27°55′18″S 23°38′30″E / 27.92167°S 23.64167°E / -27.92167; 23.64167
Depth283 m (928 ft)
Elevation1500 metres
Boesmansgat is located in South Africa
Boesmansgat
Boesmansgat (South Africa)
Boesmansgat is located in Northern Cape
Boesmansgat
Boesmansgat (Northern Cape)

Boesmansgat (or Bushmansgat), also known in English as "Bushman's Hole", is a deep submerged freshwater cave (or sinkhole) in the Northern Cape province of South Africa, which has been dived to a depth of 282.6 metres (927 ft).

Boesmansgat was believed to have first been explored by amateur diver Mike Rathbourne, in 1977.[citation needed] The greatest depth attained was by Nuno Gomes in 1996, diving to a depth of 282.6 metres (927 ft). Its altitude of over 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) makes this a particularly challenging dive, requiring a decompression schedule equivalent for a dive to 339 metres (1,112 ft) at sea level.[1] Gomes' dive was a close call, as he got stuck in the mud on the bottom of Bushman's Hole for two minutes before escaping.[2]

On 24 November 2004, Verna van Schaik set the Guinness Woman's World Record for the deepest dive by diving down to a depth of 221 metres (725 ft).[3]

In October 2022 Karen van den Oever broke her own Guinness World Record[4] as the world’s deepest diving woman when she descended to 246.65 metres (809.2 ft) using open-circuit equipment.[5]

Deaths

In literature

In Mo Hayder's novel Ritual (2008), the death of the parents of one of the protagonists while diving in Bushman's Hole is an important plot device.[9]

In media

The 2005 attempt to recover Deon Dreyer's body that led to the death of Dave Shaw is the subject of the 2020 documentary Dave Not Coming Back.

References

  1. ^ Farr, Martyn (8 February 2007). "South Africa – Bushmansgat". Retrieved 2010-04-30.
  2. ^ a b c Zimmermann, Tim (August 1, 2005). "Raising the Dead". Outside Magazine.
  3. ^ "Deepest scuba dive (female)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Deepest scuba dive (female)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  5. ^ "New cave diving record for Karen van den Oever". 28 October 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  6. ^ Gomez, Nuno (2016). BEYOND BLUE "Journey into the deep". Warszawa: Mayfly. pp. 21–25. ISBN 978-83-62827-25-1.
  7. ^ a b "Episode 515: Good Guys, Act 3". This American Life.
  8. ^ a b Washington, Glynn (October 31, 2014). "Where No One Should Go". Snap Judgment. NPR.org.
  9. ^ Mo, Hayder (2008). Ritual. Thorpe. p. 1. ISBN 9781847824639.


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