Skeleton Beach; It is a beach of silky sand at the junction of the Namibian Desert and the Atlantic Ocean, located in the southwest of Africa. This coastline, which is one of the most desolate and untouched beaches in the world, offers a magnificent view when viewed from the outside. But when you look closely, the coast has a different story. The Skeleton Beach is called “Hell’s Shores” by Portuguese sailors. The natives of Namibia; He believes that God created this beach out of anger.
On the beach, which is one of the most dangerous and desolate coastlines in the world, it is possible to encounter scattered whale bones, fragmented shipwrecks and the footprints of rare desert animals. To date, over 1000 ships have been irreparably damaged and the skeleton has been left to rot on its shore. For this reason, it is known as the largest ship cemetery in the world. Ships with frightening sights line the entire coast.
Skeleton Beaches is located in Namibia about 400 kilometers from the capital, Windhoek. Those who want to see the coast, which is a very desolate place, can only visit it in a limited time zone during the day for security reasons.
The Cause of the Events at the Skeleton Beach
The discovery of thousands of shipwrecks and a large number of skeletons on the Skeleton Beach is the result of a natural phenomenon occurring on the shore. The cold waters of the Benguela current, which forms in the ocean just behind the shore, are carried up from Cape Point. These currents collide with the scorching hot air off the coast of the Namibian Desert. As a result of the meeting of cold water currents and warm air, dense fog occurs both on the beach and in the ocean. At the same time, strong winds blow in the region and cause severe waves to form along the coast. In these conditions, a sailing boat runs aground on this beach sandwiched between the ocean and the silky dunes of the Namibian Desert.
According to what has been said; Portuguese ships sailing close to the shore sit on shallow rocks on the beach due to intense wind, fog and current. The survivors of the ship fall into the desolate and deadly desert and die of thirst. For this reason, the beach was named “The Shores of Hell” by Portuguese sailors.
Some of the Events on the Beach
In 1943, 12 headless skeletons and the skeleton of a child were found in an abandoned cottage off the shores of Skeleton Beach. On a stone slab in the vicinity, there is a message that will help to illuminate the event. The message, which thinks it was written in 1891, includes the following statements; “I’m heading towards a river 60 miles north. God help me if someone finds this message and follows me. It could not be determined who the skeletons found on the beach belonged to, how they came to this beach and why they did not have their heads.
In 1942, the British cargo ship carrying 22 passengers and 85 crew sank 40 km south of the Kunene River. The 42 people on board managed to reach the shore by motorboat, and it took approximately 4 weeks for the survivors to be rescued. The ship of one of the expeditions participating in the rescue operation from Windhoek, Namibia, ran aground on the Skeleton Beach and 3 crew members drowned.
Carl Nauer, a Swiss pilot, crashed on this beach in 1933 while he was flying to London. After the pilot’s death, the name of the beach was changed and it was named “Skeleton Beach”. The bones of the pilot who disappeared on the beach have not been found.
Charles John Andersson, a Swedish explorer and naturalist, went to these beaches in 1859. Regarding the beach “a chilling feeling and fear took over my whole body. Even death would be preferable to exile to such a country.”
Formations Found on the Skeleton Coast
Despite the beach’s notoriety, it is quite strikingly beautiful with its fine sands and formations. Because it is uninhabited, it has a wonderful ecology. In addition to shipwrecks, there are seal colonies and interesting agate geographical formations on the Fria promontory of the coast. At the same time, there are many interesting plant species such as lithop and stone mushroom that adapt to the desert climate and can live in the region.
Along with the sands on the beach, the layers of rocks that have risen to the surface have been transformed into fantastic shapes as a result of the erosion of the wind. Rising ghostly above the desert floor, some of these rocks resemble giant capped mushrooms. Others make for eerie sights, such as the skull-shaped Skull Rock found in the beds of the Munutum River, watching the beach with its hollow eyes.
