Boesmansgat
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 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Daniëlskuil, Northern Cape |
| Coordinates | 27°55′18″S 23°38′30″E |
| Depth | 283 m (928 ft) |
| Elevation | 1500 metres |
Boesmansgat (South Africa) Boesmansgat (Northern Cape) | |
Boesmansgat was believed to have first been explored by amateur diver Mike Rathbourne, in 1977. 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. 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.
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).
In October 2022 Karen van den Oever broke her own Guinness World Record as the world’s deepest diving woman when she descended to 246.65 metres (809.2 ft) using open-circuit equipment.