The Short History of Skeleton Bay
The Namib is one of the oldest deserts known to man and its coastal dunes are the tallest in the world. But unlike this barren wilderness, Skeleton Bay is an infant in geological terms. Thirty years ago it didn’t even exist.
A geological study published in 2003 revealed how the sandspit has changed drastically in shape and size over the past few decades. What was once a shallow bay a couple hundred yards long is now a formidable arc of sand that stretches for miles. The big question was why the spit had started to grow and change shape after decades of relative stability.
By analyzing more than 40 years of meteorological data, researchers discovered that the predominant southerly wind direction had shifted by 20 degrees on average since 1976. This counter-clockwise shift in the prevailing wind direction resulted in sand being deposited from a new angle at a “protuberance” or bump along the spit that marked the top of Skeleton Bay. In effect, a new spit was forming on the back of an old one.
As the bump grew out into the Atlantic Ocean and became more pronounced, the predominant southwesterly swells that sweep up the coast started to carve a deeper bay on the leeward side of the bump, coaxing swells to wrap further and further along the spit. At the same time this powerful wave action was depositing sand further north, causing the spit to grow.
The study estimated that as much as one million cubic meters of sand flows along Skeleton Bay per year – enough sediment to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Instead of swimming pools, it created a mile-long wave that has become one of the wonders of the surfing world. SUP
