About Wondergat
History of Wondergat
Wondergat is a situated at a height
of +/- 1460m above sea level, near Mafikeng in the North West Province. It is a
popular inland diving site, but one should treat it with respect and not dive above
one's level of diving. The pool is a natural sinkhole of about 75 x 100m
on the
surface, with the maximum depth of Wondergat is about 70m when the water is high
(the depth varies from rainy to dry season).
Wondergat is
home to sharptooth barbell, the southern mouth brooder How the
species has developed and remained linked to Wondergat is the subject of an ongoing
study. Fish do not grow to large sizes in Wondergat, as there is a limited food
supply in this isolated body of water, with not much surrounding vegetation.
The surface area
is not large and is surrounded by high walls of dolomite rock, which allows the
temperature to stay fairly constant between 15 and 20°C throughout the year. We
were diving in a comfortable 19°C, which was a whole lot warmer than the air temperature
on a winter’s day.
The visibility
changes throughout the year and is dictated by the algae life cycle. Access to light
also affects the visibility as certain parts are in shade at different times of
the day. On our dives at 40 metres we were dealing with no more than five metres
vis, but at shallower depths it was well over ten metres.
Ropes which not only act as hang stations but also increase diver safety
– as long as the rope is in sight a diver will be able to work back to the surface.
The line starts just off the metal step at 6 metres and runs around the circumference
at a depth of 15 metres. There are lines upto the police sign
and fixed shot
lines on either side, marked by marker buoys on the surface.
To swim around the
15 metre line makes for an interesting dive, and the light filtering down from the
surface and bouncing off the rocky walls gives one the impression of a lost ruined
city lying buried under rock. Over time, formations have formed on the rock’s surface
– wagon-wheel-like formations called stramatalites. These living fossils give Wondergat
the feel of a gothic cathedral.
Wondergat does
not have a flat bottom, but rather a deep hole on each side with a slope up to the
steps. Although it is called a cave by many, together
with the dept of 68 metres and the altitude, makes it a dive that you do not attempt
to do without the correct training and preparation.
Committee Members