Travel Guide National West Coast Recreation Area

As its name indicates, this area is mainly recreational, especially for fishermen. Numerous pick-up trucks equipped with huge fishing rods erected like antennas drive along the coast (especially on weekends). Namibian and South African fishermen have nicknamed this wide strip of sand "the miraculous coast". Indeed, the cold current of the Benguela, moving from 10 to 30 cm per second, allows a mixing of the waters which carries the fish from the open sea to the beaches. Fishing here is not only a leisure activity, but also an almost national sport. Amateurs have become real enthusiasts who meet regularly along this coast and fishing clubs often organize competitions: the biggest sharks, taken out after several hours of hard fighting, can weigh up to 180 kg depending on the species.For those who would like to practice or learn, a growing number of tour operators organize fishing parties in Henties Bay and Swakopmund (ask at the tourist offices or at the hotels). But for most travelers, the major point of interest of this section of the coast remains the famous Cape Cross and its sea lion colony. The naturalist will also note that along the coast, a few kilometers south of Wlotzkasbaken, lies the largest lichen field in the world. This large orange area, easily visible from the road (on the right coming from Swakopmund), is mainly composed of a rare lichen, Santessonia hereroensis