Port Nolloth still shines but not as bright as before
Share Article
Port Nolloth’s parties as not as rowdy as they use to be when diamonds were forever.
By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions
During our recent WhyAfrica Road Trip through Africa we spent two days in the town of Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa to find out more about several offshore oil and gas drilling projects in the Orange Basin of the Atlantic Ocean.
Many years ago, straight out of school, I drove to Port Nolloth with my one-man tent convinced that I would make a fortune as I heard through the grapevine that diamonds are everywhere and very easy to find.
When I got there, I realised that you should never trust the grapevine. It looked like hard work being a diamond diver, the Atlantic was freezing and I didn’t have a wetsuit.
I left when my money ran out after a month.
I’ve returned to Port Nolloth on many occasions throughout the years, mostly to report about offshore diamond mining which remains a unique undertaking.
Parties not as rowdy
The diamond boats are still there but not like in the heyday. Everybody is now talking about oil and gas.
Offshore diamond mining from boats along the coast near Port Nolloth began in the early 1960s, when technology first made it possible to recover diamonds directly from the seabed.
De Beers pioneered marine mining techniques, using small vessels equipped with suction systems and divers to recover diamond-bearing gravel from shallow waters.
Port Nolloth became one of the logistical bases for these early experiments and operations.
De Beers still operates from Port Nolloth, and there are several smaller operators working the sediments, but the parties are not as rowdy, and the diamonds have lost their shine.
Image: Diamond boats in the Port Nolloth harbour on an overcast day. Image credit: Leon Louw for WhyAfrica
Port Nolloth still shines but not as bright as before
