Diving & Travel Guide to Inland Freshwater Diving – South Africa

About Inland Freshwater Diving

South Africa's inland freshwater diving offers extraordinary contrast to the country's renowned marine environments, featuring world-class sinkholes, flooded mines, and unique lake diving. Boesmansgat in the Northern Cape is the world's third-deepest freshwater sinkhole at over 270 metres, attracting technical divers from around the globe for deep record attempts in crystal-clear blue water. Wondergat in North West province provides multi-level sinkhole diving suitable for intermediate divers and cavern training, while Komati Springs in Mpumalanga is a vast flooded open-cast mine offering both training and technical diving to 55 metres. Badgat Quarry provides accessible beginner training, and Lake Jozini (Pongolapoort Dam) offers the unique experience of diving for freshwater tigerfish in an area inhabited by crocodiles and hippos. These inland sites provide essential training facilities for South Africa's diving community and offer genuinely unique diving experiences found nowhere else on Earth.

Highlights

• ✓Boesmansgat – world's third-deepest freshwater sinkhole at 270 metres
• ✓Wondergat multi-level sinkhole diving in clear blue water
• ✓Komati Springs flooded mine with training and technical sections
• ✓Lake Jozini tigerfish diving with crocodiles and hippos nearby
• ✓Essential training facilities for SA's diving community
• ✓Unique freshwater environments contrasting with marine diving

Getting There

Inland sites are scattered across multiple provinces. Boesmansgat is near Danielskuil in the Northern Cape (5 hours from Johannesburg). Wondergat is near Lichtenburg in North West (3 hours). Komati Springs is near Carolina in Mpumalanga (3.5 hours). Lake Jozini is in northern KZN (4 hours from Durban).