Mornings on the Walvis Bay waterfront

WITH the morning sun reflecting off the sea and seagulls noisily floating overhead, many coastal residents choose to take a leisurely breakfast on the Walvis Bay Watefront.

Some even drive from Swakopmund to start-off their day at Anchor’s Restaurant on the Waterfront. On days when the sea is calm, and with the Namib dunes in the background, pelicans waddle past the tables in search of scraps, while ‘Robbie’ the seal waits for the boats to launch so he can hop aboard for his own breakfast of pilchards. ‘Robbie’ is expected to undergo surgery soon for a wound in his abdomen.Many say experiencing the sights and sounds of the Waterfront in the morning calms the spirit. While yachts and small boats bob on the water, marine tour operators launch their vessels for the day’s first tours and ships and huge rigs clang in the harbour not far away.Starting off at the Anchor’s Restaurant, with the fresh breeze off the Atlantic mixing pleasurably with the coffee aromas wafting around breakfast tables, an un-rushed atmosphere languishes over the stirring waterfront scene.’It’s very rustic, but it’s for our visitors to come and feel Walvis Bay and our coast. Locals and visitors love it,’ says Anchor’s owner, Neels Dreyer. ‘Our fish dishes and snacks are quite unique.’Afterwards, it’s always nice to walk across to the Jetty Shoppe and browse through the wonderful selection of gifts and curios. Then there are the African wood carvers exhibiting their carvings and crafts on the sidewalk, inviting visitors to a browse. Mola Mola Safaris are right next door, and usually by mid morning quite a number of tourists have arrived and are wandering around and waiting to experience the marine sanctuary by boat tour.The sanctuary offers sightings of dolphins, Cape Fur and elephant seals, pelicans, sun-fish (mola mola), and if they’re lucky, whales.For many a day in Walvis Bay is not complete without a visit to the Waterfront.