Diamond Divers
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Real South African jewel hunters fight and curse a lot.
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America, Hell Yeah!
What's the Story?
DIAMOND DIVERS is a reality doc that follows a crew of American sailors and divers who have entered the dangerous and high-stakes business of South African ocean raw diamond diving. The series features Captain John Aydelotte, the owner of a Washington-based water rescue and salvage company, as he leads his crew, including handyman Doc, mechanic J.R., and his unruly adult son Jason to the Skeleton Coast off of South Africa to harvest the raw gems from ocean gravel for an independent mining company. Joining them are two young Texan divers, Marty and Sam, who are not used to working with Aydelotte's gang. They soon learn that the diamond diving business has its own unique set of problems, including dangerously rough waters, sharks, and the constant need to defend themselves from pirates, poachers, smugglers, and warlords. Sailing a less-than-seaworthy vessel also leads to some challenges. But the American crew is desperate for money to make ends meet, and take unexpected risks in hopes of cashing in on the lucrative diamond market.
Is It Any Good?
The show features the difficult and dangerous work that goes into mining the African diamonds that ultimately end up in jewelry around the world. It equally focuses on the tensions that arise among the crew (especially between Jason and his father), resulting from having to work together so closely and, in some cases, a lack of discipline. The pressure the men are under to find stones and get paid also becomes overwhelming.
While it touches on some of the business practices and the social, economic, and political conflicts in Africa that are impacting the trade, it stays away from the controversies surrounding the diamond mining industry. But while the uniqueness of the work and the exotic location makes for some interesting viewing, it also sends a troubling message about how far people feel they need to go, and how many risks they are willing to take, in order to make money.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the reasons why people take extraordinary risks to make money. Is it based on necessity, or is it greed?
Are reality shows like this one produced to educate people about these types of jobs, or to highlight the risks people are taking when doing them?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 20, 2012
- Cast: Jake Rademacher , Jason Aydelotte , John Aydelotte
- Network: Spike
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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