THE LOCATION

The town Walvis Bay (meaning Bay of Whales in Afrikaans) has an eventful history. It was discovered by the Portuguese sailor Diaz, who explored the West African coast from 1482 to 1489, and who sailed in the bay for the first time in 1487. At the beginning of the 18th century, the place developed into a sought-after fishing ground for fishers from North America and Europe due to its abundance of whales and fish. The town itself was founded in 1793 by the Dutch from the Cape (South Africa) but was annexed by a British war vessel only a few years later.

Since 1850 Walvis Bay grew steadily due to its trade connections, but it was occupied in 1878 by the British Crown, as many British fishermen and Guano trades had settled there. Furthermore, the bay was of strategic importance for the sea route. In 1884 the German Protectorate included the surrounding areas of the bay; Walvis Bay became a British enclave. In 1910 the South African Union was established and integrated into the Union as part of the Cape Province Walvis Bay.

At the beginning of the First World War, the town was shortly occupied by German troops. After German southwest Africa had been put under the South African administration as League of Nations mandate in 1919, the South African parliament decided in 1922 to assign the town to South West African territory. However, in 1977, the town was reassigned to the Cape Province which was seen
as a repeated annexation, especially as efforts for the independence of Namibia were made since the early seventies. In 1990 Namibia became independent.

A resolution of the UNO stipulated that South Africa was to hand over Walvis Bay to Namibia, but it never happened. Only at the end of 1994, the Walvis Bay area was handed over to Namibia.

Today Walvis Bay is the third-largest town of Namibia and its only deep-sea harbour. Between 55,000 and 65,000 people live in Walvis Bay, depending on seasonal workers for the dominant fishing industry.

As the water of the coastal area is immaculate, Walvis Bay is known for its high-quality fish, oysters, rock lobsters, etc. A few touristic highlights: One of them is a boat trip along the coast to view dolphins and seals, whereby the seals jump right into the boat. With a bit of luck, whales with their impressive tail fin can be spotted.

For bird enthusiasts and anglers, trips by boat or 4×4 vehicles to the bird colonies of the 10-kilometre long lagoon of Sandwich Harbour are a special treat. In this large natural lagoon, more than 120,000 birds have been counted, including pelicans and flamingos. A trip to “Dune 7” just outside town is also well worth it. It is the highest dune in the area, and one can enjoy a fantastic view when standing on top of it and try the trendy sport called sandboarding. As Swakopmund is a mere 30km away, one can easily visit this coastal town and its attractions.

One should not forget to mention the large salt fields around Walvis Bay. On an area of 3500 hectares, 400,000 tons of high-quality salt are produced annually.