Real Survival Stories

South Africa Cave Dive: Recovery Mission

April 29, 2026·54 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

This is the story of the deepest underwater human recovery mission ever attempted. A daring and noble task that has profound consequences. Skilled divers Don Shirley and Dave Shaw are exploring South Africa’s legendary Bushman’s Hole - an enormous, pitch-black, flooded cave - when they uncover a body. The macabre discovery kickstarts an audacious retrieval operation. But in this hostile environment, there is no room for error… A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. Written by Heléna Lewis | Produced by Ed Baranski | Assistant Producer: Luke Lonergan | Exec produced by Joel Duddell | Sound Supervisor: Matt Peaty | Sound design by Jacob Booth | Assembly edit by Rob Plummer | Compositions by Oliver Baines, Dorry Macaulay, Tom Pink | Mix & mastering: Ralph Tittley. For ad-free listening, bonus material and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Click the subscription banner at the top of the feed to get started. Or go to noiser.com/subscriptions If you have an amazing survival story of your own that you’d like to put forward for the show, let us know. Drop us an email at support@noiser.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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