Went to Swakopmund over the weekend to celebrate our Independence Day, not that anyone else was celebrating it around here, but we felt like we needed to do something to promote the spirit of the day. We rented a beach house that was nicer than our flat in Windhoek. Needless to say the kids didn’t want to leave the place. Aside from the fact that it was right on the beach, it also had satellite t.v. much to the kids’ delight and their parents chagrin. They could watch all of their favorite American cartoons like SpongeBob on Cartoon Network--one of the principal reasons why we chose not to subscribe to it here in Windhoek. I liked the fact that it was so well equipped right down to a full spice cabinet.
We had spectacular weather upon our arrival, but on the day that we had arranged to go fishing, the wind turned out of the East and was blowing a gale. According to locals, it only blows out of the East about 14 days of the year. This apparently was one of those fourteen. No wonder it’s deemed the off season. We had contracted with a local “fisherman” to take us surf fishing. He’s got all of the poles, equipment and does all of the hard work. He took us down the coast past mile 14 and we battled the wind and blowing sand while Reid, Emma and Augustus reeled in a number of Cob. Cob are of course salt water fish that have a silvery hue. They can get quite large apparently. They perhaps exist around the Americas, but I wouldn’t know what we refer to them as. Their flesh is a pristine white with an extremely mild flavor. Terrence, the guide, gutted and filleted one of the largest for us to take home. Annie and I chased the waves, took photos of everyone’s catch and sought shelter from the stinging sand when things got extreme.
After battling the elements and the heat ‘til about noon, Terrence took us back down the coast near mile 8 where we had lunch and threw in the lines in the hopes of snagging sharks. By then the wind had turned and was blowing off of the ocean. We had to do a complete wardrobe change, because it was now quite cool given that it was no longer coming from the desert side. Our hopes weren’t disappointed. It took a long time to get the shark in, however. The strategy is to tire them out before reeling them to shore. Often it’s the fisherman who tires first though. The first specimen proved to be a male weighing about 60 kg and over 2 meters long, a Bronzee is what they call them here but I think they’re referred to as Copper Sharks at home. His skin had a copper/bronze hue on his flank. Terrence, a professional to the core, measured, recorded and tagged the guy before sending him on his merry way back into the sea.
The second came about an hour and a half later--the same type, but a bit smaller and a female. By this time it was nearly four o’clock and our fishercrew was pooped. Terrence was ready for more and indicated that the weather was just getting good. But, we decided to call it a day especially after such a difficult morning combating the windy conditions. When we returned, every crevice and orifice had sand in it. We all fought for the privilege of showering first.
On Sunday we reluctantly returned to Windhoek. We really would have liked to have stayed in Swakopmund on the beach chasing waves, soaking up rays and catching fish, but a return to reality couldn’t be prolonged any further.
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