One of the most productive whale watching areas in the world, the Bay of Biscay is a huge gulf of the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean to the south of the Celtic Sea which borders Spain and France.
The deep waters found off the continental shelf around the Santander and Torrelavega Canyons are rich in marine life and are some of the most reliable locations in the world to see the elusive and little-known beaked whales species. One of those, Cuvier’s beaked whale, holds the cetacean record for depth of dives (nearly 10,000 feet) and is frequently seen in the Bay. The enormous fin whale, the second largest species on earth, is also regularly sighted, as are huge pods of short-beaked common dolphin and striped dolphin: indeed, a remarkable 24 species of cetacean have been recorded in the Bay to date.
Seabirds are another significant feature of the Bay. Pelagic species such as the great, Cory’s and Balearic shearwaters, dainty Wilson’s storm petrel and beautiful Sabine’s gull are among those regularly spotted in late summer.
