How a Lucky Snorkeler Stumbled on a $100,000 Diamond on a Coral Reef, and the Big-Hearted Offer He Made to His Cruise Mates
- A Bundaberg man found a $100,000 diamond while snorkeling off a cruise ship
- Now he has revealed how he found the jewel nestled in a reef and took it
- He checked with other passengers that it was his before claiming it
- The massive rock was valued at $100,000 and is now in a safe at his home
By Max Aldred for Daily Mail Australia
Published: 10:26, August 6, 2022 | Updated: 10:26, August 6, 2022
A Queensland man has revealed how he spotted a brilliant $100,000 diamond nestled among a coral reef while snorkelling from a cruise ship.
Bundaberg man Stuart said he was diving 10 years ago when he made the incredible find miles from civilization at sea.
Honest Stuart offered to return the stunning jewel to anyone on board his cruise if he had lost it and could describe it accurately.
But with no one claiming it, he kept it for himself, and has kept the shiny rock under lock and key ever since.
A Bundaberg man found a $100,000 diamond while snorkelling while on a cruise 10 years ago, but has revealed how he would have given it away had he found its rightful owner (stock image)
Stuart told Triple M Rush Hour Queensland hosts Annabelle Brett and Elliot Lovejoy that the lucky find flashed to him while he was reef diving.
“I was diving, snorkeling around the reef and it caught my eye and I dove down a little bit and picked it up,” he said.
“About the size of my fingernail, it was a two and a half carat diamond.”
Stuart said he could not keep the find a secret from the rest of the ship and was recognized when he returned on board.
‘I told them I had found a stone a precious stone, I said nothing else.
“But (I told them) if anyone loses it on this cruise they can come into my cabin and if they can describe what it is, it’s theirs.
“I said nothing more than that,”
With 10 days to go until the cruise, Stuart insisted he would have been happy to hand over the diamond to its owner.
The huge diamond, the size of a man’s fingernail, was valued at $100,000 after Stuart took it to experts (stock image)
Lady Luck was traveling with Stuart on the cruise as she won $11,500 her first time playing bingo (stock image)
“If it was theirs, it was theirs,” he said.
In the end, Stuart held on to the rare stone.
“No one came to ask for it, so I kept it and have had it ever since,” he said.
“We had it appraised at $100,000.”
He said he had resisted the temptation to sell it and revealed that it never leaves his house, locked in a safe.
It turned out to be just the start of a streak of good luck for Stuart on the cruise.
He told the show: “I played bingo for the first time in my life on that cruise and won $11,500.”