On the Atlantic for a marine cruise....

We hug the coast road for our journey down to Walvis Bay to catch our catamaran.  We are hoping to get up close and personal with some sea life.

 Nelson, Ship Mascot

It is still very foggy and I would guess the temperature is in the high fifties with very damp air.  It almost feels misty.

We are viewing the last of the dunes, thoughtfully deposited by the Benguela current.  Some light industry is present and also some residential development.

In between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay is a place known the Halfway Houses.  We might automatically think there is some parole requirement for living here, but in truth it is a luxury enclave.

Most famous part time residents are those previously deeply devoted soulmates Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.  The devotion has waned.  I personally think it is a bad omen to let your children draw on your wedding dress, but what do I know.  Back in the day, they and their brood used to hang out in Namibia for privacy.

I'm sure they got lots of privacy.  You'd have to do a lot to entice a papparazzo to come up here on those famous  washboard roads just to get a glimpse of Brangelina!

Walvis Bay just won the Best Port award for the best run harbor.  Goods imported here wait only 3 days to clear customs and are received into Johannesburg by 7 days.
Contrast that with Durban  South Africa's east coast port where the wait is 50 days. Time is money.

Anchorage fees are also comparatively reasonable.  As we approach the harbor we see lots of tankers and supply ships sitting just within the harbor along with unconnected drilling platforms. They are all waiting for the price of oil to drop at which time they will scurry up to Angola to buy and drill.

The problem of reverse discrimination toward whites is a reality in all of Africa. Because of this there is a shortage of skilled labor who have left the country for greener pastures, the brain drain.  Tony says that once these young people marry a foreigner and have a baby, they are never coming back.

So some skilled workers are imported from Europe but that angers the trade unions. Thus the problems persist leaving everyone worried about the future.

There is a plethora of foreign interest here.  The President is friends with every country doing deals: South Korea, North Korea and China, Spain, to assist their three vessel Namibian navy and fishing industry and Israel for diamonds.

Walvis Bay is below sea level so the Chinese are draining a large area north of the existing harbor for a new container port and oil/gas depot. Deep sea drilling ships, using 6 engines with GPS to maintain their position, are currently present in the harbor laying pipe for the new depot.

Arriving at the pier we board our 53 ton catamaran, largest in Namibia, for our Marine adventure.  I have seen pictures of people on this excursion bundled up to the hilt.  We are fortunate today that there is no wind and the harbor is very still.  Even when we leave and enter the Atlantic things were very smooth.

Joe is our guide and he is young, tall and charming with a wry sense of humor.  Once we are underway, Bobby Brown, a cape fur seal who is apparently under contract, hops onboard and gives a sardine eating demonstration. I'm sure he would have been happy to spend the day with us but hops back into the water after some fish tossed from the side.

We are headed out to the oyster beds, eventually tasting some of the best oysters in the world.  Normally they grow where river and ocean meet and need warmer temperature, two requirements certainly not met in this area.  But in the 1990's Spaniard Eman Romero had an idea and imported some oysters from Chile.

He devised a system where the oysters were suspended in baskets hung between floating drums.  They loved the plankton rich waters of Walvis Bay.

Because they were suspended in water 24/7 and not subject to the fluctuating tide levels they grew twice as fast.  So the oysters were mature in 9 months rather than 18 months.  Of course this is a labor-intensive business.  The oyster needs to be hand cleaned and brushed every five days or they will stick together in the basket.  Machinery would crush them.  Also if the basket is not frequently cleaned of mussels and plankton the water cannot circulate.  I just don't see how they can make any money with such a labor intensive operation. Think of this the next time you order a dozen on the half shell!

Red Tide is an infrequent predator here, smothering the oysters.

We are headed out to the isthmus that forms the harbor.  In the middle is a non-working black and white lighthouse.  Black and white is 12% better seen when there is water on both sides..hence no red.  It is in the middle because the isthmus has grown from the current and wind pushing the sand further down making a new point.  At the endpoint is a colony of seals.  We can hear them before we see them, Honk, honk, honk!

Before the mating season the male disappears to fatten up.  Not only does he need his strength for the demands of procreation, but because he seldom leaves this carnal paradise he needs fat stores to survive.

The female will leave her pup with the other mothers to fish but she is able to recognize her baby at return. Seals have the ability to stop gestation if they have other things to do, resuming growth when the time is right.

We have an unusual sighting of the Mola Mola or sunfish, the heaviest boned fish in the world.  It never broke the water but we could see it below the surface chasing its favorite meal, jellyfish.

Also on display today, but sparingly, was the bottle-nosed dolphin.  The female dolphin flirts with all the males although she only mates with one.  But because all the males think they are the father, she has successfully made a security network for her baby, a smart and cagy strategy.

Heading homeward we enjoy a buffet snack lunch of all kinds of seafood, sandwiches and champagne.  The oysters were wonderful and the quality of all the food was more than I expected on a catamaran.  I guess Bobby Brown wants another snack!

The whole experience was very enjoyable.  Back on the bus we have a free afternoon awaiting us.   

Tonight is our last night in Swakopmund and we gather back at the jetty for dinner at The Tug, a two story restaurant known for its seafood and sunsets.  We have a wonderful dinner.  Birthday Gary treated us to champagne for the day after his birthday party.

I chose to enjoy a fish soup chock full of different seafood and a giant prawn in a delicate broth followed by the best fish I've had, a thick fillet of Kabeljou.  It is a mild, firm fleshed white fish served with a choice of lemon or garlic sauce.  Dessert was creme brûlée.  Its topper of torched sugar cracked like glass.  Excellent!

Thoughtful Tony provided us with a list of African authors and some nearby restaurants in Cape Town.  We are headed there tomorrow and we'll be very busy.