Most of the transfers in our Namibia tour were by charter aircraft but on June 25 we moved from Hoanib Valley Camp to the Shipwreck Lodge via 2+ hours in each camp’s safari vehicles. At a short break the Shipwreck Lodge truck would not start. We tried to get it to the top of a rise where it could roll start but that was not happening on the soft dirt road.
So they radioed to the lodge for rescue.
A battery swap was need to get our truck moving, about 45 minute delay.
As you approach the Atlantic coast, the Namibian desert gets seriously drier, averaging only 1-2 inches of rain per year. In the middle of the country, from the capital Windhoek north to Etosha National Park, summer rains are 10-12 inches. But throughout the country, there’s only about 0.3 inch of rain during the winter dry season May to September.
The cold current from the Antarctic is responsible for the coastal desert, similar to northern Chile. Swakopmund at 22 degrees latitude has water temperature averages 58 winter and 65 summer, similar to SoCal at 34 degrees latitude. Average high temperatures in Swakopmund have a narrow range of 72 in April/May to 66 in Sep/Oct. with a fair amount of coastal fog.
The Shipwreck Lodge is farther north at 19 latitude but a similar climate per our hosts. In the remote location power is by solar panels with a backup generator. Here are the individual guest rooms with shipwreck exterior décor.
Notice the north and west facing windows and fireplace pipe vent in the roof. With no air conditioning these rooms are designed for cool not warm weather. But as we all know, “Climate is what you expect, but weather is what you get.” During our refuel stop in Swakopmund a couple days earlier I immediately noticed the wind was from the east and hot, a direct analogy to our Santa Anas here in SoCal.
This weather continued, so the rooms were quite hot in the afternoons, though with open windows they cooled off comfortably after sunset. Our hosts announced that they would drive everyone to the beach for sunset. Liz and I decided to walk to the beach; they gave us a radio in case of any mishaps. Looking back at Shipwreck Lodge:
About 20 minutes later:
I found an oryx jawbone.
Hoarusib River outlet:
Wavy dunes as we approach the beach:
We finally reach the water in just under an hour.
At home we would suspect pollution for that foamy deposit but it’s the residue from a local microorganism. Even water flowing onto the beach looks different.
I had to test the waters.
I’ve never seen footprints stick so long under several inches of water.
I’ve been to a lot of beaches but this one was unique. The slope into the water was very gradual but there were about 4 layers of surf, and the outer ones were quite impressive as will be more obvious in pics the next day. I managed one wave on a small inner layer.
The lower latitude moderated water temperatures. I’d say mid-60s despite being midwinter. I did not stay in long as the air temps were cooling down.
At sunset we are walking toward the sundowner truck.
I also can’t recall ever seeing a beach with so much driftwood. At sunset we finally had the cool breeze off the water and many people bundled up.
The next morning the east wind strengthened. After breakfast they drove us inland to expansive sand dunes.
On some of the dunes the wind was lifting the sand.
The wavy pattern of the dunes was created by the past 4 days of east wind reforming the sand vs. the more common south or west winds. These were entertaining views but when we opened windows for the cameras, lots of sand blew into the truck.
We got out here and our guide tossed a handful of sand into the air.
Next stop was an oasis with some oryx on the other side.
We next drove to the coast. The strong offshore wind lifts spray above the breaking surf. Sometimes the spray was high and dense enough to create a rainbow effect.
Gladys is a serious photographer we first met on the 2016 scuba/eclipse trip in Indonesia in 2016. A shipwreck item is at far right.
Skeleton Coast shipwreck map:
Some skeletal items:
More shipwreck debris:
A weird feature of the beach stop is that it was completely silent. The strong offshore wind kept the sound of those crashing waves from reaching us. Of course we could hear the surf a mile away from our room at night when the wind was calm.
We went back to the lodge for lunch. Shipwreck Lodge has ATVs and sandboards for recreation on the dunes but there was no way we could do that in the morning with the sand flying in the air so much. They hoped the wind would ease off so we could try later. So during the hot mid afternoon I requested a ride out to the beach for an hour where I spent ~15 refreshing minutes in the ocean.
At 5PM 5 of us were finally able to use the ATVs.
The sandboards were more like toboggans, easy to use lying down and holding onto a rail in front and letting your feet touch the sand behind you to control speed or turn gradually. Our guide first demonstrated.
Judy shot video of my second run
Liz at the bottom:
We got rides up on the back of the ATV.
On our departure morning a thin fog layer had finally moved in.
On the way to the airstrip where we will fly to Etosha, we pass by a beach with 50,000+ sea lions.
The offshore wind has resumed.
Close up view:
The water is packed with sea lions too.
So they radioed to the lodge for rescue.
A battery swap was need to get our truck moving, about 45 minute delay.
As you approach the Atlantic coast, the Namibian desert gets seriously drier, averaging only 1-2 inches of rain per year. In the middle of the country, from the capital Windhoek north to Etosha National Park, summer rains are 10-12 inches. But throughout the country, there’s only about 0.3 inch of rain during the winter dry season May to September.
The cold current from the Antarctic is responsible for the coastal desert, similar to northern Chile. Swakopmund at 22 degrees latitude has water temperature averages 58 winter and 65 summer, similar to SoCal at 34 degrees latitude. Average high temperatures in Swakopmund have a narrow range of 72 in April/May to 66 in Sep/Oct. with a fair amount of coastal fog.
The Shipwreck Lodge is farther north at 19 latitude but a similar climate per our hosts. In the remote location power is by solar panels with a backup generator. Here are the individual guest rooms with shipwreck exterior décor.
Notice the north and west facing windows and fireplace pipe vent in the roof. With no air conditioning these rooms are designed for cool not warm weather. But as we all know, “Climate is what you expect, but weather is what you get.” During our refuel stop in Swakopmund a couple days earlier I immediately noticed the wind was from the east and hot, a direct analogy to our Santa Anas here in SoCal.
This weather continued, so the rooms were quite hot in the afternoons, though with open windows they cooled off comfortably after sunset. Our hosts announced that they would drive everyone to the beach for sunset. Liz and I decided to walk to the beach; they gave us a radio in case of any mishaps. Looking back at Shipwreck Lodge:
About 20 minutes later:
I found an oryx jawbone.
Hoarusib River outlet:
Wavy dunes as we approach the beach:
We finally reach the water in just under an hour.
At home we would suspect pollution for that foamy deposit but it’s the residue from a local microorganism. Even water flowing onto the beach looks different.
I had to test the waters.
I’ve never seen footprints stick so long under several inches of water.
I’ve been to a lot of beaches but this one was unique. The slope into the water was very gradual but there were about 4 layers of surf, and the outer ones were quite impressive as will be more obvious in pics the next day. I managed one wave on a small inner layer.
The lower latitude moderated water temperatures. I’d say mid-60s despite being midwinter. I did not stay in long as the air temps were cooling down.
At sunset we are walking toward the sundowner truck.
I also can’t recall ever seeing a beach with so much driftwood. At sunset we finally had the cool breeze off the water and many people bundled up.
The next morning the east wind strengthened. After breakfast they drove us inland to expansive sand dunes.
On some of the dunes the wind was lifting the sand.
The wavy pattern of the dunes was created by the past 4 days of east wind reforming the sand vs. the more common south or west winds. These were entertaining views but when we opened windows for the cameras, lots of sand blew into the truck.
We got out here and our guide tossed a handful of sand into the air.
Next stop was an oasis with some oryx on the other side.
We next drove to the coast. The strong offshore wind lifts spray above the breaking surf. Sometimes the spray was high and dense enough to create a rainbow effect.
Gladys is a serious photographer we first met on the 2016 scuba/eclipse trip in Indonesia in 2016. A shipwreck item is at far right.
Skeleton Coast shipwreck map:
Some skeletal items:
More shipwreck debris:
A weird feature of the beach stop is that it was completely silent. The strong offshore wind kept the sound of those crashing waves from reaching us. Of course we could hear the surf a mile away from our room at night when the wind was calm.
We went back to the lodge for lunch. Shipwreck Lodge has ATVs and sandboards for recreation on the dunes but there was no way we could do that in the morning with the sand flying in the air so much. They hoped the wind would ease off so we could try later. So during the hot mid afternoon I requested a ride out to the beach for an hour where I spent ~15 refreshing minutes in the ocean.
At 5PM 5 of us were finally able to use the ATVs.
The sandboards were more like toboggans, easy to use lying down and holding onto a rail in front and letting your feet touch the sand behind you to control speed or turn gradually. Our guide first demonstrated.
Judy shot video of my second run
Liz at the bottom:
We got rides up on the back of the ATV.
On our departure morning a thin fog layer had finally moved in.
On the way to the airstrip where we will fly to Etosha, we pass by a beach with 50,000+ sea lions.
The offshore wind has resumed.
Close up view:
The water is packed with sea lions too.
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