In the 1970s a small boy was playing on the shores of the Benguela Current. He discovered a glittering stone in the shallow water and took it home with him. It later turned out that this stone was the first diamond ever found in the region.

Our Benguela Diamond Safari offers you an unparalleled opportunity to dive for diamonds in the sea yourself (only with a PADI Open Water 1 diving license). Or you can observe our diamond diver as he brings rough diamonds up from the sea before selecting your own diamond.

You will definitely find a diamond: 100 percent guaranteed!

Accompany our diamond diver

After we pick you up from your accommodation in the morning you continue by private plane to Port Nolloth, where a freshly prepared breakfast already awaits you in a luxurious villa. While our private chef pampers your taste buds, our guide provides you with an introduction to the exciting subject of diamond diving.

Later in the morning you accompany our diamond diver Wynand Hendrikse on his boat onto the open sea. Here you have the unique opportunity to dive for diamonds yourself (with a PADI Open Water 1 diving license).

In the water you look out for transparent stones. While you let your eyes wander, our diamond diver takes care of most of the technical tasks. He maneuvers large vacuum hoses to pump the sand from the sea floor out of the water. This forces gravel through a collector that separates larger stones from finer ones.

Only the larger pieces end up on deck, where they are “fished out”. This process separates the diamonds from the gravel using a system of vibrating baths.

If you don’t wish to dive or you have no diving license, you can observe our diamond diver and his companions from the boat and eagerly wait to see what they bring up. Then you join in with screening, examining, and classifying the finds.

You select a stone which is then cut, polished, and set in a handmade piece of jewelry in our diamond diver’s studio.

“I have two passions – the sea and diamonds.”

From these passions sprang Wynand Hendrikse’s plan to share the beauty of diamonds with the rest of the world. So he founded Benguela Diamond Safaris for discerning guests looking for the unique and adventurous experience of finding their own rough diamond.

For over 20 years now, this South African has been diving for diamonds. His office is his boat, his business suit is made of neoprene. His mission: to find mineral stones and diamonds in shallow waters. The Benguela Current, after which Benguela Diamond Safaris is named, is the ideal location for it. It flows from the Cape of Good Hope north to the equator and its banks are rich in mineral stones – and rough diamonds.

Wynand spends almost every day on the water. With him at your side you have an experienced specialist who until today practices his profession out of pure passion.

All the diamonds that Wynand Hendrikse finds are processed by him and his team in only three days to custom-designed jewelry in his own studio, Benguela Diamonds, located in the heart of Stellenbosch.