HomeGetting Here | Travel to NamibiaNamibia Cities & Towns Links Plus Country MapAbout Touring Namibia Attraction Sites Plus MapsEasy Syndicating With Namibia-1on1All you need to know about advertising with Namibia-1on1Sitemap of Namibia-1on1You're welcome to email us with your comments and questionsFrequently Asked Questions FAQs
 
  

 Namibia National Flag

Advertising With Namibia-1on1 Group

Product of Namibia-1on1 Version 2009
   

Henties Bay Namibia

The 'Laid Back' Holiday town and surf angling base for keen fishermen...and women

   

If you're an angler, you'll find Henties Bay a perfect place to base from. it's nicely situated close to some popular fishing bays and holes. OK. We know it's not as good as it used to be in the 'Good Old Days', but we do know that (a) If you go at the right time, (b) if you find the 'right' place, (c) if you use the right bait, You too can catch a BIG FISH.

 

The folks in Henties Bay do things 'their way'. The below arrangement of desert wind etched rocks is a 'thing' of unusual beauty. The 'hanging tree' just up the road is near to a sign asking you not to litter.

 

Henties Bay the water hole where Hentie camped

The Water-Hole where Hentie camped

Henties Bay North Dune

North Dune - Henties Bay

General Location of Henties Bay
Etosha Region
21º 11'S 14º 28'E
Population
Map of Namibia
Henties Bay Street Map

 

There are some exclusive houses in Henties, but the majority have been built as holiday homes that can be rented at reasonable prices. Many of the home owners seem to be expressing thoughts or whatever that you wouldn't see in any 'ordinary' town. The above left house has a genuine ships anchor chain securing it to the 'deck'. The chap on the right has collected drift wood tree trunks and placed them around his holiday retreat. There are some interesting shapes.

 

Henties Bay. A Day By the Sea

A Day By The Sea

Henties Bay the hanging tree

The hanging tree

Henties bay display of wind-etched rocks

Wind-etched rocks

Henties Bay house with drift wood fence

Drift wood fence

Henties Bay the anchored house

Anchored house

 

In the beginning: It is known that a patrol of Schutztruppe found the 'sweet' water at the mouth of the Omaruru River Delta in 1886 and camped there for the night.

 

In later years it was to this water hole in 1920 that an old South West minerals prospector known as Erasmus pitched his tent tasted the water (and no doubt caught a few fish) and was cured of a great affliction - the quest for those elusive alluvial diamonds that in the 'Good Old Days' were found in the rivers and along sections of the coastline of  Namibia.

 

In 1922 a garage owner and motor dealer from Kalkveld, Hentie van der Merwe, went on a hunting trip north of the Brandberg, where his Chevrolet truck developed an overheating problem and it was to this water hole that Henty eventually arrived and pitched his tent under the palm trees while he repaired his truck. In those far off 'Good Old Days', following a high tide, the beach, at Hentie's,  lay deep with fresh red bait, so Hentie cast out a line and caught one of those big fish that the old timers keep telling us about. Hentie must have enjoyed it, as he settled down for the rest of the week and the hunting holiday turned into a fishing holiday.

 

On his return inland, the word 'got out' and by the next holiday period in old 'South West'  a few farmers brought their families along, pitched their tents alongside Hentie's, made use of that sweet water hole, and they all 'hooked on some red bait and went fishing' and caught big and plenty.

 

Following Which:

It only took a few seasons of tented holidays where everybody enjoyed the coolness of the coastal summer climate, the getting together with old friends, sitting around a braai (BBQ) fire in the evenings, and of course those BIG and PLENTIFUL FISH...

A few months later the question would be asked,, "Where are you going for your holidays this time?" And the answer would be,

"To the coast, that good fishing place about fifty miles north of Swakop. You know where I mean....... Henties Bay." And that's how it all began...

 

The Big Fish: OK. You've heard it all before, and no matter what generation you belong to you will always hear older folks talking of about the  'Good Old Days'. If you're a 'fisherman' you'll be subjected to stories of how plentiful and how big the fish on the Namibia coast were 'back then'. In the case of Henties Bay those tales of the 'Good Old Days' are true. This was the place where they caught them.

 
 

Who was Henty van der Merwe:

It is written that Hendrik van der Merwe  originated from the Pretoria area and  that he had fought in the 1st Boer War against the British (10 Dec 1880 to 3 Aug 1881) and in the Anglo-Boer War (11 Oct 1889 to 31 May 1902) Where he attained the rank of Kaptein. He married a young woman who was a survivor from the British concentration camp at Bethulie. Their first son was born on 21 February 1908 and was named Hendrik Jacobus Stephanus.

 

Hendrik senior served in the 1st World War with the Allied forces in Europe and later with the Union of South Africa forces in South West Africa with the rank of Major and was garrisoned at Grootfontein. On demobilization the van der Merwes were one of the first families of ex South African service personnel to settle in South West Africa. Hendrik, known as Hentie moved to the rich farming area of Kalkveld where he ran a garage and prosperous motor dealership. The small town of Henties Bay is named after this man.


 Local Area Attractions        

Cape Cross

Cape Cross: This is where, in January 1486, the Portuguese Explorer Diogo Cão erected a Padrao (Stone Cross) on a high rocky outcrop to mark the furthest southerly point that Europeans had reached. There are 2 replica crosses at the site, the original cross was taken by the Germans in 1893 and is in Berlin. Cape Cross is also home to the world's largest Cape Fur Seal colony on any mainland. Visiting Hours 10h00 to 17h00 Time Budget 1hr ►►
         
     Xmas  Henties Bay    Gone Fishing    Fishing Act 27    Tide Table     Fishing Maps

Of Interest:   Bartholomew Diaz  sailed along this coastline in 1488. The fish were so abundant he called it "Praai das Sadhinas" The coast of the fish. He and his crew were the first people to tell the stories of this coast line and I'm sure they told their friends about...  the 'Big Fish'.

Skaamhaai is Afrikaans for 'Shy Shark', and if you're really quiet and observant, you'll find them off the coast at Henties Bay.

 

 
Accommodation Henties Bay District Namibia Car Rental Guided Tours available in this area Self Guided Touring advice for this area Cape Cross approx 50km on C34 Skeleton Coast Road North
No bus services operate on this route No passenegr rail services operate on this route Namibia Towns Namibia Emergency Numbers Swakopmund 72km on C34 Skeleton Coast Road South

Torra Bay

Terrace Bay Uis Khorixas Swakopmund Windhoek
230 / 143 290 / 180 115 / 72 240 / 149 75 / 47 440 / 273
Uis 3km on C34 North > 114km on C35 East
Terrace Bay 307km on C34 Skeleton Coast Road North
 

Namibia Towns:

Aus | Gobabis | Grootfontein  | Grunau | Henties-BayKamanjab | Karibib | Karasburg  | Katima Mulilo | Keetmanshoop Khorixas    |  Luderitz | Maltahohe | Mariental | Noordoewer | Okahandja | Omaruru | Ondangwa | Oshakati | Otavi Otjiwarongo | Outjo | Rehoboth | Ruacana | Rundu | Solitaire | Swakopmund | Terrace-Bay | Tsumeb | Uis | Usakos | Walvis-Bay | Windhoek

 

Did You Know

 
   

Henties Bay Namibia

Home | Getting HereCities & Towns | Touring Namibia | Sitemap

 

 

Attention Triangle

A Namibia-1on1 group-site. For information about Namibia and us, please see below

It's Easy To Link This Namibia Town Page To Your Web Site

 
Namibia Accommodation Directory of establishments registered with the Namibia Tourism Board Namibia Trophy Hunting Directories of hunters registered with the Namibia Tourism Board and NAPHA About Us who we are and what we do Your Privacy when communicating with us.
Namibia-1on1 Business Directory. Over 4,500 businesses listed here. Air Namibia Flights Timetable All the information you need for Advertising with Namibia-1on1 group sites Easy Syndicating Service with Namibia-1on1
Namibia Maps. Detailed digital country and town street maps of Namibia South African Airways Flights Timetable You're welcome to email us with your comments and questions Immigration To Namibia Information
Namibia Tour Guide. All the info you need to plan a successful visit to Nambia Tell a friend about this site Namibia Car Rental Companies
  Copyright © Namibia-1on1 2002 - 2009 and terms and conditions of reading  
 

Namibia -1on1