The first diamonds from the sea floor were recovered in shallow waters off the Namibian coast some 110 years ago. However, it took 50 more years, before some systematic sea floor diamond mining with purpose-built barges occurred in Namibian waters in the early 1960s. This was followed by a period of detailed exploration and mining tool development, which saw Namibia emerge as the leading nation in marine diamond mining in the late 1980s. Today, a fleet of seven modern mining and exploration vessels is involved in the recovery of more than three quarters of Namibia's diamond production. As the process involves modification of the sea bed, careful monitoring and impact mitigation is carried out according to international best standards.

大约110年前，纳米比亚沿海浅水区发现了海底的第一批钻石。但是，又花了50年的时间，才在1960年代初在纳米比亚水域进行了一些系统性的海底金刚石开采，其中包括专用驳船。随后是一段详细的勘探和采矿工具开发阶段，纳米比亚在1980年代后期成为海洋钻石开采的领先国家。今天，由七艘现代采矿和勘探船组成的船队参与了纳米比亚四分之三以上钻石产量的恢复。由于该过程涉及海床的改造，因此将根据国际最佳标准进行仔细的监控和减轻影响。