Paddling to the Edge of a Dam

When the dam is full this is what they mean by it

Having an inflatable paddleboard has a few advantages. But the most important one is you can quickly fold it up and take it wherever you go. Like on a road trip for example.

Despite us driving into the desert at first, I decided to take the backpack with the board. You never know. I might want to have it with. And we do have the space for it in the car.

Guess what. On our fourth night, we arrived at a lake. A dam they call it. A dam that had been flowing over recently. That’s how full it was. And still is.

I can’t remember seeing a lake in Namibia. Ever. I’ve seen rivers flowing. I’ve seen puddles. But a lake? This is a first. And now it’s also massive since it has its max capacity.

Lucky me I got the paddleboard with me. Rolling it out as soon as the camp was set up I start to pump. It takes a little while but is definitely worth the effort.

Since our camp is right on the water I don’t have to carry it anywhere. I just put it in the water and jump on it. Here I go. Exploring the Oanob Dam in Namibia! Let’s see what I can find on its shore and in the water.

I passed a few other campsites. Also located directly on the water. Chalets, a restaurant, and other buildings were along the shore towards the dam wall. I didn’t approach the actual wall a lot.

I was constantly thinking about the fact this dam was flowing over and how on earth that is possible. And how easy the water would pull me along if it still did.

But as I am paddling around a bend I did see the open space. Only separated from the actual dam wall by a hill, this side looks entirely different. The wall is much lower.

Blocking off the water from going into a side valley. But this is where it must be flowing over. Or did flow over. My heart starts to beat faster and my brain works. Can I paddle closer? If it would still be flowing over I should feel a current pulling me.

I didn’t feel anything. The water was as calm as a lake can be. Slowly but surely I paddled closer. And closer. Until I touched it. The wall.

And it's actually not scary at all. Right now. While the lake is about two centimeters below the line. On the other side of the wall, I can see some puddles. The water had been flowing over here. Just a few days ago. Or maybe even hours. Who knows.

It’s not such a high drop off as in the main valley. But it’s still going down a few meters. Scary to think about what would happen if the lake would get another massive inflow. Now.

Let’s rather continue my paddle. Explore more of the shoreline. Pass bird island which I named like that since it was covered in birds when I paddled by. Cormorants, herons, some storks, and even two pelicans I passed on the way.

The sun is setting and I realize I won’t even closely manage to finish my goal. To surround the lake. There are so many sidearms on it. Looking like fjords they go deep in between the mountains making me cover quite some distance on the board.

The sun has long set by the time I get back to camp. The sky turned into its twilight colors finishing off the day with a color festival. What a great experience it has been paddling out here.

But I wasn’t done yet. The next morning I went straight back again. Onto the lake. But in the other direction. Cotton-wool clouds were covering the sky. A light wind was blowing.

The sun just came up behind the mountains starting to burn off the first layer of clouds already.

This side of the lake is less inhabited. Or not at all. Most of its shoreline is covered in pristine nature.

I passed a few more chalets and something that looked like a mansion.

Then there was nothing left but birds. Lots of them. Just look at this tree. Try to count the nests. And then count how many birds sit in all those nests. This is truly a bird lover's paradise.

And a bird paradise itself.

But also a paradise for SUP fans. I had such a great time exploring this lake. And I will explore more of this country on my paddleboard. As long as the conditions allow it.

Have you ever been on a stand-up paddleboard? Tell me about your experiences in the comments below.

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Anne Bonfert is a traveler. Photographer. Writer. Teacher. Skydiving instructor. Adventure enthusiast. Nature lover. And fell in love with the African continent.