Through true grit Karen van den Oever managed to break the women’s deep-cave diving world record over two hundred metres underwater.

Karen van den Oever is a science graduate from the University of Witwatersrand and a diving instructor who recently broke the female world record at Boesmansgat in the Northern Cape.

The deep cave diver exceeded the previous record, which stood for over 16 years and was also held by a South African woman, by diving down to 236.04 metres.

She had her first scuba dive in 2001 but it was only in 2007 that Karen had her first cave dive. 

“I must say it wasn’t really something that interested me. It was only when one of my diving friends had come back from traveling abroad and needed a cave diving buddy that we started cave diving a lot more,” shares Karen. 

We spent the day getting to know Karen better and asked her a few questions in keeping with our ethos for the show – sustainable living. Keep reading for her replies. 

Q&A WITH KAREN

What does ‘living better’ mean to you? 

Work life balance, staying fit, and eating healthy.

What legacy would you like to leave behind?

Tha everyone should dream big because anything is possible!

What advice would you like to share with South Africa?

Don’t give up when things get tough, always look for  the positives in a situation and opportunities that might exist. With commitment and hard work absolutely anything is achievable 

Where do you go to escape and connect with yourself?

I go scuba diving