Case file · Folklore / legend
The 'bottomless' Lake Otjikoto
Local lore held that the sinkhole lake of Otjikoto in Namibia had no bottom; in June 1915 retreating German troops dumped guns and ammunition into it.
1915 CE · -19.19, 17.55 · status: explained
The account
Francis Galton and Carl Johan Andersson were the first Europeans to visit in 1851. Divers later raised much of the 1915 war material, some of which is displayed in Tsumeb. The lake is home to a rare cichlid fish.
The sceptical view
Divers have measured the lake, and its depth is known; the 'bottomless' story reflects connections to underground water.