Diamonds in the deep: How gems are mined from the bottom of the ocean

Photos: How diamonds are mined from the Atlantic seabed

In Namibian waters off the west coast of Southern Africa, enormous mining vessels suck diamonds from the seabed.

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Photos: How diamonds are mined from the Atlantic seabed

These ships operated by Debmarine Namibia mine 24 hours a day, 365 days a year within a 2,300 square mile area — just under half the size of Jamaica.

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Photos: How diamonds are mined from the Atlantic seabed

Since operations began in 2002, Debmarine Namibia has extracted nearly 16 million carats of marine diamonds from the ocean.

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Photos: How diamonds are mined from the Atlantic seabed

Each mining ship has a team of 120, with 60 people working on board for each 28-day rotation. Employees are flown by helicopter to and from the vessel.

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Photos: How diamonds are mined from the Atlantic seabed

The diamond mining company sends out unmanned, autonomous vehicles to survey the seabed.

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