Skeleton Coast: The No-Go Zone at the Edge of the World That God Made in Anger
Even the buses here are abandoned. Image credit: Ian Cochrane
The survivors of shipwrecks who made it to the shore found themselves among sand dunes that towered behind the ocean, as far as the eye could see. And even if they could have survived the harsh desert climate, it’s likely they have fallen prey to the lions or hyenas that regularly scavenge for food in this area.
An especially grisly story surrounds the wreck of an unknown ship that washed up on Skeleton Coast in 1860. Her crew was believed to have been found 83 years later, in 1943. Their headless skeletons were buried in the sand, along with a weathered stone slab that said, “I am proceeding to a river 60 miles north, and should anyone find this and follow me, God will help him.” However, it’s a mystery who left the message; the inscriber’s remains have never been found.
The survivors of shipwrecks who made it to the shore found themselves among sand dunes that towered behind the ocean, as far as the eye could see. And even if they could have survived the harsh desert climate, it’s likely they have fallen prey to the lions or hyenas that regularly scavenge for food in this area.
An especially grisly story surrounds the wreck of an unknown ship that washed up on Skeleton Coast in 1860. Her crew was believed to have been found 83 years later, in 1943. Their headless skeletons were buried in the sand, along with a weathered stone slab that said, “I am proceeding to a river 60 miles north, and should anyone find this and follow me, God will help him.” However, it’s a mystery who left the message; the inscriber’s remains have never been found.
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