Harasib Lake Cave | Otjiwarongo

Information

Landmark: Harasib Lake Cave
City: Otjiwarongo
Country: Namibia
Continent: Africa

Harasib Lake Cave, Otjiwarongo, Namibia, Africa

Harasib Cave (also known as the Harasib Lake Cave) is a massive flooded karst system located on Farm Harasib, the same property that houses Dragon’s Breath Cave. It is distinguished by its extreme verticality and its role as one of the deepest underground water bodies in Africa.

Visual Characteristics

The cave is a jagged pit with a vertical shaft leading to an immense underground lake. Unlike the flat "lake room" of Dragon’s Breath, Harasib is characterized by a "sprawling corridor" structure. Beneath the water's surface, the chamber is approximately 80 meters wide and 100 meters high. The water is exceptionally clear, typical of the fossil water found in the Otavi Mountainland.

Location & Access Logistics

Access: Located 46 km northwest of Grootfontein.

Permits: Situated on private land; access is strictly restricted to professional research and diving teams via a concession system.

Technical Entry: Requires advanced Single Rope Technique (SRT). Explorers must descend approximately 80 to 112 meters vertically from the surface to reach the water’s edge. Historically, equipment was lowered using winches and pulleys.

Depth & Exploration

Harasib is currently recognized as being deeper than Dragon's Breath Cave.

Human Records: In recent expeditions (2015–2022), technical divers from the Scapehander team reached a human depth of 179 meters.

Robot Mapping: In 2019, the SUNFISH autonomous underwater vehicle mapped the cave to a total depth of over 265 meters (800+ feet).

Comparison: While Dragon's Breath has a larger lake surface area (2 hectares), Harasib is a deeper, more cavernous vertical system.

Historical Use

In the 1950s, the cave was utilized for water abstraction. Remnants of an old pump system and pipes can still be found within the cave shaft, although they have long been abandoned in favor of conservation and research.

Ecology

Similar to other caves in the Otavi Triangle, Harasib is a "closed" ecosystem. It lacks the sunlight-driven food chain of surface lakes, relying instead on allochthonous inputs (material falling in from the surface). It is part of a cluster of deep-water sites that include Lake Otjikoto, Lake Guinas, and Aigamas Cave.