swakopmund has something of the feel of an oasis settlement about it : surrounded to the south and east by one of the worlds harshest environments , the arid namib desert , to the north by the beginnings of the aptly named skeleton coast , and with the atlantic ocean directly to the west no more welcoming , the cold benguela current flowing from the southern ocean around antarctica ensuring that the offshore waters remain forever icy , the cluster of low buildings and lutheran spires that peak above the mist-enshrouded streets appear to be the only safe refuge in an otherwise hostile wilderness stretching out to the direction of every point on the compass .