The Shaft is a flooded karst sinkhole near Mount Gambier on South Australia's Limestone Coast, renowned for its crystalline waters and dramatic limestone walls that plunge into dark, turquoise depths. This ancient cenote-like feature sits in a pastoral landscape, its surface reflecting the sky above a vast submerged chamber. With excellent year-round visibility and a hauntingly beautiful underwater cavern structure, it offers experienced snorkelers and divers an otherworldly experience. However, the site's history demands respect — it is a deep, overhead-environment sinkhole with no natural light reaching its lower reaches, and it must only be entered with proper training, gear, and local guidance.
The Shaft Sinkhole
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Poor conditions. Stay out today.
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Wave Height 1.4 mSwell Period 12 sWind Speed 7.6 knPrecipitation 16 mmTidal Phase unknown
Last evaluated
© Peter SouthwoodDANGER: Explicit Risks Present
The Shaft Sinkhole has hazards marked as danger. Entering the water here means you may face serious risks to your personal safety.
- Overhead environment / deep drop-off danger
The Shaft is an overhead-environment sinkhole with deep submerged chambers. Snorkelers should never venture beyond the lit surface zone without cave-diving certification.
- History of fatalities — disorientation risk danger
The site has a history of diver fatalities from disorientation and exhaustion of air supply in the cavern zone.
The spot
Community-maintained
Community contribution: submitted by Daniel
Know before you go
Logged by the community, confirmed by mods
High risk: Overhead environment / deep drop-off
The Shaft is an overhead-environment sinkhole with deep submerged chambers. Snorkelers should never venture beyond the lit surface zone without cave-diving certification.
High risk: History of fatalities — disorientation risk
The site has a history of diver fatalities from disorientation and exhaustion of air supply in the cavern zone.
Moderate risk: Cold water temperature
The water temperature remains cold year-round (12–16°C), posing hypothermia risk without proper exposure protection.
Wildlife Guide
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Gallery
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Getting in
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About this data
- Conditions last evaluated
- Spot data last updated
- Data sources
- Open-Meteo (marine & weather conditions), tide predictions via UTide, community contributors (descriptions, hazards, marine life).
- License
- Spot content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. How's the Spot is open source.
Weather & swell ┬╖ Open-Meteo marine & weather APIs Tides ┬╖ UTide harmonic analysis Sea & safety ┬╖ community reports