We came down from Swakopmund with the plan already set. Walvis Bay is mainly famous for its marine cruises, so no reason to beat around the bush.
The Walvis Bay Marine Cruise
No boring moments there. From the moment we set out, a seal followed in the wake of the speedboat, casually keeping up as if that was no match at all. I know those animals are fast swimmers, but that one was slightly impressive, to say the least. Eventually, as the captain slowed down, it jumped on board for a quick fish snack. I’m sure that’s part of the drill, but nice entertainment for those of us who hadn’t done the cruise before. For the crew, I’m sure it was routine.
Pretty much as the seal took off, a pelican joined and gave us company for the ride.
After a while we got to a beach with a lighthouse and at least hundreds of seals. Clearly not shy of boats and people, they played around us for a while until the captain decided to move on.
Dolphin cruises can often get underwhelming and overcrowded. Like most of those in Zanzibar. Not here. After some more minutes, there was first one, then another, jumping through the water, doubtlessly enjoying itself. Then plenty of them, literally dancing in the water. At one point, three dolphins jumped within metres of the boat. I’d seen dolphins before, but never like this.
From the street, Walvis Bay seemed fairly forgettable. From the water, definitely not.
June is a winter month in Namibia, but with that experience, who cares? Some generous servings of oysters and bubbly on board weren’t exactly a reason to complain either. Fresh sea breeze, a pelican riding along with us, dancing dolphins, and a curious seal with a playful family around the boat is a decent setup. Even more so with bubbly and oysters.
Oh yeah, plenty of flamingos back on land too, but I was already done being impressed that morning.
And yes, there is video too!
Some parts are easier to show than describe. This was Walvis Bay out on the water, with the seal, the pelican, the dolphins, and the rest of that very good morning.