I didn't come to Swakopmund planning to become an ocean swimmer. It happened completely by chance.
After joining Nikola on her wonderful Swakopmund history walking tour, she invited us to watch the rugby (and a meal and drink) on Saturday - the Springboks were playing Scotland. There we met a friend of hers, Wil-Merie, and during the conversation she mentioned that she belonged to a local ocean swimming group. She wasn’t swimming at the time, but she smiled and said, “You should go along. They’re a really friendly bunch.”
I took her up on that invitation, and it changed my whole experience of Swakopmund. Me, Nikola and Wil-Merie below. (Note two of the three with Springbok scarves, Ed.)
The swimming is around a Swakopmund landmark - the Mole, pronounced Moh-leh. Mole is German for seawall, photo below.
"Construction of Swakopmund’s Mole began in 1899, when Namibia was under German colonial rule. Germany wanted Swakopmund to become a harbour because nearby Walvis Bay—with its naturally sheltered deep-water harbour—was controlled by Britain.
The Mole was completed and officially opened in 1903, allowing ships to anchor and unload passengers and supplies. However, the harbour did not work for long. The powerful Benguela Current continually carried sand into the protected area, causing the harbour to become shallow and fill with sand. Ships eventually had to use Swakopmund’s wooden and later iron jetty instead.
Today, the sand-filled former harbour has become Mole Beach, one of Swakopmund’s most popular and sheltered swimming and recreation areas. The remaining sea wall is an important reminder of the town’s early harbour history."
Below is a video of where the ocean swimmers swim, around the Mole. They call themselves the Vixens & Wolves.
From Facebook: "An ocean swimming group based in Swakopmund, Namibia. Known for braving the crisp Atlantic waters (often ranging from a freezing 13°C to 20°C), they proudly define themselves as open water ocean swimmers rather than casual pond paddlers.
Schedule & Location
Meeting Place: Typically gathers around The Mole beach area in Swakopmund.
Weekly Swims: Wednesdays and Fridays at 5:15 PM, and Sundays at 11:00 AM (times can vary based on conditions and special full-moon events)."
On a later day we went to Wil-Merie's art studio too. I loved this painting of the sands of Swakopmund. We did not know where to put it, as we have no spare walls, so we are leaving it for the moment. She is a beautiful artist.
At the rugby Nikola said she had a wetsuit that would fit me. She drove us to her house to get the wetsuit. This is outside her front door. She lives in a gated community. Lovely home and lovely garden.
I was only in town for a couple of weeks, but I didn’t miss a Vixens & Wolves swim in that time. Not because it was easy—it certainly wasn’t—but because the welcome I received was extraordinary. From the moment I arrived, people looked after me as though I had always been part of the group. I loved that.
The Atlantic Ocean off Swakopmund is wild, cold and powerful. Every swim challenged me in ways I had never imagined. Yet every time I climbed out of the water, I felt more than happiness, more than achievement. It was a deep sense of exhilaration—a feeling of being truly alive.
Nikola's wetsuit was so tight I could hardly breathe! I also wore neoprene booties because my feet felt painfully cold. Every stroke was hard work, and I questioned whether I had made a terrible mistake.
Fortunately, I wasn’t alone for the swim. Duncan, one of the group’s most experienced swimmers—who I later discovered has won numerous ocean swimming awards—stayed beside me for the entire swim. Out in the rolling Atlantic, where the waves constantly lifted and dropped us, I kept searching for his bright orange swimming cap. Seeing it always reassured me that I was safe. I had no desire to be left on my own.
Then on our first swim, we saw a mother and baby dolphin about 5 metres away. I completed the 1.2 km swim. While it was hard work, I was hooked.
It was so cold. From left to right: Francois, Duncan, Mattias, me, Kevin, and Brandt. We all smile as we are intoxicated with the Atlantic Ocean in Swakopmund.
A text arrived from Wil-Merie. Kevin says the water temperature was 11 degrees. Not sure how he worked that out from this?
She also said - There you go, your Atlantic experience courtesy of the Vixens and Wolves.
From Facebook about the Vixens and Wolves: "Ocean swimming group based in Swakopmund, Namibia. Known for braving the crisp Atlantic waters (often ranging from a freezing 13°C to 20°C), they proudly define themselves as open water ocean swimmers rather than casual pond paddlers."
They also host themed or milestone swims. For the full moon ones, you are not allowed to swim in a wetsuit. One swim is 5km from the Mole to Ma Platz am Meer Mall. They all wear Vixen & Wolves caps.
After that first swim, I tell Nikola that the wetsuit isn’t quite right. She says she has two wetsuits and has another one for me, and it was a much better fit. I realise the first swim with dolphins did not happen often. Only 4 of us the 2nd time - Mattias, Duncan, Annika and me. The second wetsuit is still cold, but so much better.
On Sundays there are more people because they go to Antons Cafe and socialise afterwards. I choose to go there too. It is here, Duncan, and I talk about Ryan Fox and The Open. “Has he got a chance of winning?" he says to me. I reply, "Probably an outside one, and we are always hopeful".
He also offers his car and golf clubs and says we must play the Rossmund course, with springbok on it. Sigrid is on my other side and offers me a real swimming wetsuit for our next swim. She is an original member of the Vixens and Wolves swimming group and explained that the first two wetsuits were really designed more for surfing than for ocean swimming. Sigrid said she had one she could loan me.
Too many to name here on Sunday - Naomi, Duncan's sister, is 5th from the left, Duncan is second on the left, Sigrid is next to me and Mattias left early as he was too cold.
I go back to hole up with Bill to watch Ryan Fox's "hopeful" chance of winning The Open.
We watch every shot of Ryan Fox's in the Open (as we had the day before too when he shot 62). (We also fitted in the World Cup football final, Tour de France daily, Nations Cup rugby and some international cricket, Ed.)
Here are some videos I took on the 4th day before the awesome last putt.
And after, from one of the sport blogs that Bill follows (credit 'The Bounce' and Dylan Cleaver, Ed.):
“What the hell was that!?” said one of the attending party, confused by the unique, splayed-feet aesthetics of the man’s swing. “He does not look like a good golfer.”
Turns out he is a very good golfer. Turns out, also, that his unique swing happens to be extremely repeatable and, more importantly, effective. Turns out, in fact, that the said swing belongs to The Champion Golfer of the Year.
For the past few hours I’ve been scrolling through a Ryan Fox wonderland. His one-shot win over Cam Young is a popular victory, and not just here where his face joins those of Bob Charles, Michael Campbell and Lydia Ko on the Mt Rushmore of the country’s major winners. It seems like the golf world has been waiting for a champion that doesn’t look like a poster child for Les Mills, who struggles to keep his shirt tucked into the front of his pants and who, most endearingly, wastes no time in stepping up and whacking it.
“I was always that way as a kid,” he explained to those more accustomed to watching golfers stalk their ball as if it could detonate if they approach it too quickly. “I played almost every sport growing up. Tennis, I wanted to hit the ball hard. In cricket I wanted to hit the ball hard. Everything just happened fast. I was never methodical at anything, to be honest. It just carried over to golf — it’s not that difficult to pick a shot and pick a club.”
You could hear the collective “amen” of golf fans around the world who have little interest in watching professionals line up putts and pace out irons."
More reading, this time from 'The Guardian'.
‘Fastest player in the world’: Ryan Fox’s superpower is his speed. It won him the British Open.
Fox, 39, has everyman appeal. Yeah, he grew up with the famous rugby-playing father and the Black Cap grandfather, went to nice schools with brick buildings and, by the standards of most, would have never wanted for much, but Fox has never carried himself as anything other than the Kiwi battler maximising his talents and over-achieving on the world stage.
The way he engages with both traditional and social media is pure class and, as a result, he has become that guy that everyone, not just New Zealand golf fans, wants to see do well.
That’s the big-picture stuff. Narrow the focus on this performance alone and what you have is a mind-warpingly good example of performing under pressure. Fox made good shot after clutch putt all the way down the back nine. There were too many to mention but the bogey on 15 and birdies on 16 and 18 warrant attention.
Fate played Fox an awful hand on the long par three 15th. His tee shot just caught the edge of the bunker but the ball was thrown sideways under the lip, meaning the only way he could get back onto grass was to hit it out of the bunker back in the direction from which he came. That left him with a long chip to give himself a chance for bogey. This he did, but still, scratching ‘4’ on card left him one behind the clubhouse leader with two extremely tricky holes in the final three to navigate. He didn’t drop his lip, however, and played the 16th, which had until then seen only seven birdies all day as opposed to 11 bogeys or worse, close to perfectly.
That birdie left him tied with Cam Young on -9, but Fox found himself facing another wicked stroke of misfortune as his drive rolled and rolled and rolled into a fairway bunker on the par five 17th,. Still, he recovered expertly and had a good look at birdie, which he pushed just right.
That left him standing on the tee at the 508-yard 18th, a hole that plays as a par five for members, knowing that a four would get him into a playoff. What he might not have known was the hole had given up only 27 birdies all week and only four on the day. It had chewed up golfers with 174 bogeys or worse, 33 of them on the final day that saw the pin protected by a sadistic sandtrap. He hit a perfect drive, shaping it with the wind off the left-hand fairway bunker to find the middle of the short grass. As he stood over his nine iron, the commentators noted how he would take a shot to the middle of the green and a 20- to 30-foot putt. Not this day, though; he flushed it straight to the pin and left 12 feet between himself and a claret jug. He couldn’t feel his legs, could barely stop his hands from shaking as he stood over his putt, but he didn’t muck around; he never does. The ball died in the hole, as the very best putts do."
What I like about his win was his belief in himself and his willingness to have a go when the opportunity arose. We watched him for two rounds holed up in Swakopmund, and it really was wonderful to see.
I loved what Lydia Ko did too. She called him in tears. She opened the congratulatory phone call by saying, "Hello, Champion Golfer of the Year," and later added, "Thank you, I'll try and be half as good, half as clutch as you."
And Justin Thomas: "Congratulations, try to remember every little detail because you never know when you will want to draw on it.“
What the Guardian said - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jul/25/golf-ryan-fox-open-birkdale-new-zealand-interview
Brother John put this in the family chat.
I was annoyed that I didn't think of that, so I got ChatGPT to copy it. It didn't look anything like me. They got the cap right and the colour of my golf shirt. That cap was from the Open that Shane Lowry won at Portrush. You get the gist.
After the Open, and before our next swim, I have a haircut. Bethrenella on the left and Nicole on the right.
Nicole was happy by the end. I was happier. One of the ladies in the pool told me I was 70. I think I look younger than that now!
We went to the museum. A few things stood out - creatures we had not seen before - so I took a few photos . It was a bit sobering to see them stuffed and in jars, so we did not hang about too long.
Also sobering were the indigenous people who lived here - if only we had given them super respect, we could learn so much more from them.
And I hope Namibia can help save these beautiful pelagic birds. We had seen some of these in the sub-Antarctic and South Georgia islands.
And there is hope.
Bill and I enjoyed this place - a sustainability centre that is primarily an education centre for young people.
So much is happening in this place: veg growing, recycling, etc and this is a mural by the young people.
And what about this quote for the world?
One of the things about the ocean swim is you have five chances to chat - at the beginning; just as you turn past the Mole; at the rock and at the beach again; and at the end. So on one of the stops, I had asked Mattias what else he got up to. He said he played board games, and he had a group of older people he played with each week. And he said I could come along.
So before the second-to-last swim, I went to the Lions Aged Care Centre with Mattias to play board games. What super fun! The game we played below - one of the ladies had brought it along.
I worked out early that I could not win as there were too many of us. So I thought let's just play and have some fun. (For newer friends, this is not Robin's normal way of being when playing board games, Ed.)
So I 'played' with the rules. Before you started your train, you had to have a starter domino. I didn't have one. One guy seemed to have them all. I said, or someone said 'Give that extra one to your favourite woman." The rules were that he could. He did, and his favourite woman wasn't me. (So that's the end of that story, Ed.)
The other funny thing that happened was that I was drying my togs during the game (as you do, Ed.) They were wet, and in the cold, with no heated towel rail in our room, they hadn't dried. Mattias and I were swimming after. During the board games, I put them on a chair outside, and then I realised they were gone. Mattias went looking for them. A lady had taken them to the office. So rather than put them on the chair again, I saw a line, and I hung them on it with some other washing. Mattias was now keeping an eye on them and saw that a lady was taking the washing in, so he went and rescued them. And they were dry finally. These are the togs that were saved.
And this is Mattias and I. We made it to ocean swimming.
By then the regular swimmers had noticed something amusing—I turned up to each swim wearing a different wetsuit! Thankfully, by my fourth swim I had finally found the perfect one.
It wasn’t just the wetsuits that made the swimming fun. It was the people. They encouraged me; they also watched out for me when we stopped. The end of every swim is celebrated with a photo. All this quietly gave me the confidence to keep returning. What had begun as an unexpected invitation had become one of the most memorable experiences of Swakopmund. Here we are on the 4th swim - Richard, Swim coach - Dentie, Naomi, Rikka, Duncan, Mattias and me.
We took up Duncan's golf (and car) offer.
"Rössmund Golf Course is a remarkable 18-hole, par-72 course situated about seven kilometres outside Swakopmund, beside the dry Swakop River and surrounded by the Namib Desert. The fully grassed course measures 6,068 metres and is described as one of only a handful of green desert golf courses in the world. The contrast between its lush fairways and the bare desert landscape makes it an extraordinary place to play. The course provides an enjoyable challenge for both experienced and recreational golfers, with interesting greens, natural desert features and springbok often wandering freely across the fairways."
Duncan picks us up, we drop him at his work then we drive on in his car and with two sets of clubs he gave us.
We start in the fog.
The fog cleared after a couple of holes.
Bill's only great shot, and I got it on camera. (Sadly accurate, Ed.)
One lady told us they had once seen a springbok give birth on the golf course, and they all stopped to watch. We didn't see that.
Good follow through.
We played nine holes. Scores didn't matter, it was fun - and different. Then went for something to eat, then caught up with Duncan, who drove us back into Swakopmund. Here we are at his Quickbuild.
We have a quick tour. QuickBuild is about modular, prefabricated, or light-steel-frame building solutions used for fast, efficient construction. Duncan tells us his main business is prefab buildings for the mining companies - they can last up to 30 years.
Key Benefits:
Fast construction: Up to half the time of standard building.
Cost-effective: Lower labour and material waste.
Durable: Strong structures designed to handle local weather.
Flexible design: Easy to expand or modify later.
And the last swim - me, Mattias, Duncan, Richard, Rikka, Naomi, Kevin and Sigrid.
Duncan gave me a Vixens & Wolves cap. I will treasure that.
The day after our golf there was a sandstorm brewing. We were now staying at The Beach Hotel, and this is the view from our window in the morning. The hotel manager told me he lived 5km away and he was scared as winds of 71km per hour swirled around their house and howled during the night. I didn't hear any of it! But it brought heat - 23 degrees at 7am, and 28 degrees later in the day.
In the afternoon, we went on a Fat Bikes tour into the desert.
We saw this chameleon. What a gorgeous front-leg movement. They wave like a leaf to keep predators away.
We cut it a bit short as I was finding it difficult to breathe. I am not sure if it was the heat or something else, but I was suffering.
The restaurant in front of the Beach Hotel is called Tiger Reef.
The waves are big and go all over the shop. This was on our last night from the beach in front of Tiger Reef. We enjoyed the sunset, though the sun disappeared soon after this into a foggy mist.
We enjoyed so many cafes and restaurants in Swakopmund. My favourites were The Trading Post (for lunch), Ankerplatz (for dinner), and BoJo's to work. (Other honourable cafe mentions from Ed. - Gastronomy, Village Cafe, Sorellas, Slowtown, Wild Rocket, Stadtmitte, Two Beards, Cafe Anton, Brew & Bristles . . . we were there for a couple of weeks . . .) It turns out one of the ocean swimmers part-owns BoJo's, and she swam the English Channel. Her name is Bobby-Jo. She said she put on 20kg to swim the Channel. She is the super slim one in this pic (3rd from the left). Other swimmers were meeting to have a coffee. Naomi, Rikki and Duncan were there. The shorter one is Bobby-Jo's co-owner, called Kelly.
Naomi wanted my book, as I had left one for Duncan's girls. I wrote this in it and left it at the hotel for her to pick up.
Below is the cover and the link and what it is about, if you are interested.
"Let’s Go, Eels is a lyrical, illustrated picture book that follows the epic migration of New Zealand’s longfin eels (tuna) from their freshwater homes to the South Fiji Basin. Narrated by a taniwha shapeshifter—a kaitiaki (guardian) of rivers—the story blends Māori worldview, environmental guardianship, and playful rhyme to create an enchanting adventure for tamariki.
The taniwha morphs into different river creatures, guiding two young eels, Tunaiti and Tunanui, as they journey through floods, log jams, rivers, and seas. Along the way they face dangers—predators, nets, and debris—but with courage, teamwork, and the taniwha’s magical support, they finally reach the deep ocean to spawn. Their offspring will one day return as glass eels, elvers, and finally silver eels, continuing a cycle that has endured for 80 million years.
Weaving in te reo Māori phrases, mythic guardianship, humour, and rich scientific detail, the story celebrates the resilience of tuna and the importance of protecting their habitats. With rhythmic verse and evocative illustrations, Let’s Go, Eels invites children to laugh, learn, and join in the chant of “He waka eke noa – We are all in this canoe together.
Key Themes:
Adventure and transformation
Māori concepts of kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and whakapapa (connection to ancestors and nature)
The science of eel migration and life cycles
Environmental awareness and the importance of protecting rivers and ecosystems
Targeted at ages 4–12, Let’s Go, Eels is ideal for classroom read-alouds, nature programmes, and families who love rhythmic, playful stories grounded in Aotearoa’s unique wildlife and cultural heritage."
And then we left Swakopmund - memories of fabulous people, the fog, the sandstorm, the wonderful cafes and history - and headed for Windhoek in the shuttle at 6.15 am. Here is the sunrise from the shuttle (at 120 km/hr).
