In front of the Playa de la Concha, San Sebastián

Ana de la Torriente

Today we’ve surveyed canyons, identified interesting places and planned future dives. While sailing towards the canyons, we sighted various groups of common and bottlenose dolphins (Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus). We also found a jellyfish known as Aguamala (Pelagia noctiluca) approximately 9 miles from the coast.

During the dive, in front of Arrikola Point in San Sebastian, we found the typically Cantabrian seabed: a rocky substrate with some overhangs approximately 2 meters high covered by various types of algae, including Cystoseira, Gelidium and Falkenbergia, harbouring different types of organisms, such as sponges, nudibranchs, starfish, ascidians and sea urchins. Amongst the fish species, we identified cleaner-wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris), corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops), pollacks (Pollachius pochachius) and blennies (Parablennius pilicornis).

"Heavy seas"

Jorge Candán

We’ve been at sea for almost two months with this campaign and have sailed for many miles –northern miles- although the truth is that we’ve been quite lucky with the weather and have been able to work practically every day. Slight winds and calm seas rocking us gently. The divers must dance to the rhythm of the currents that move them from side to side. The “heavy seas” remind us that, many miles away from here, the weather is more like winter, either more Cantabrian or more Atlantic, but definitely “more northern.”

Although this campaign has been focused on Spanish waters, tonight we have tied up on the other side of the Bidasoa (Hendaye-France), to document the seabeds near Fuenterrabia-Spain.

We carried out the first dive at the mouth of the estuary, on Zabala Point.

We land on a rocky seabed over which a prairie of algae (Falkenbergia rufolanosa) seems to be coming and going. A sea slug (nudibranch, Peltodoris atromaculata) is feeding in the prairie, hydrozoans cover some branches of a dead gorgonian and dozens of hermit crabs graze over the sponges. As always, the shy Ballan wrasse escape from the camera and hide amongst the rocks, cracks and sandbars.

A mollusc, the Berthellina edwardsi, mates between the rocks and nearby, a cloud of its eggs moves with the current.

Ocean sunfish (Mola mola) in Ratón de Guetaria

Ana de la Torriente y Enrique Talledo

Early in the morning, we departed from Zumaia and headed towards Guetaria.

Once there, we carried out one of the most spectacular dives you can have in the Cantabrian.

This is a coastal area where ocean sunfish (Mola mola) appear during the summer months.

After Ignacio San Miguel from the K-sub diving centre showed us the exact location, we descended to a sandy seabed at 22 meters depth with presence of large rock formations that rise to 15 meters depth. A place where ocean sunfish come to be cleaned by other fish: seabreams, black seabreams and even gulls on the water's surface.

Apart from enjoying this cleaning session, we documented the presence of a large school of mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), grey triggerfish (Ballistes carolinensis), invertebrates including the gorgonian (Leptogorgia lusitanica) or the polychaete (Sabella spallanzani).

But the surprise came at the end of the dive, when we found a gillnet in which various species of fish, including an ocean sunfish, were caught.

Zabala Point (Cape Higuer)

We carried out the second dive with the ROV off Cape Higuer, in Hondarribia, at a depth of approximately 50 meters. Even though we found species of sponges and red calcareous algae on the rocks, and nudibranchs, hydrozoans, sea urchins and shells, this area did not harbour an important density of organisms. The geomorphology, though, of the seabed was characteristic and included rocky formations of varying sizes that we had not seen until now.

In the afternoon, we carried out another dive with the divers. On a hard seabed at approximately 20 meters depth, various benthic invertebrates showed us their chromatic variety in front of the spotlights and flashes of the cameras.

We found an area where small rocks were covered with small algae. But on the overhangs there was abundant biodiversity, comprised mainly of sponges, cnidarians, worms, fish and tunicates.

23 July, 2008

Ana de la Torriente

In the morning, we returned to the canyon facing the Orio estuary to document the seabed with the help of ROV.

Before getting there, 10.5 nautical miles from the coast and in waters with a temperature of 21ºC, we spotted a Portuguese man o’war.

The substrate all along the canyon was muddy and this is where the angular crab (Goneplax romboides) likes to build its nests or caves. In deeper waters, in an area with more detritus, the seabed was dominated by the crinoid Leptometra celtica and rugose squat lobsters (Munida rugosa), which also build their nests in the sand and mud.

The fish species we found were mainly small catsharks, soles, hake, monkfish, triglids and dragonets. We also saw various catshark eggs atop sea pens (Funiculina quadrangularis).

Amongst the benthic invertebrates, there were the mollusks Calliostoma sp and Eledone cirrhosa, the goose foot starfish Anseropoda placenta, the polychaete Hyalinoecia tubícola and the anemone Mesacmaea sp.

After three hours working with the ROV, we hauled it up and travelled to our next destination, a rocky seabed comprised of slabs covered by fine sediment, at approximately 100 meters depth, in front of San Sebastian, 3.2 nautical miles away. On our way to the second site, we passed the trawler from Gijon that we saw yesterday, working in waters at 150 meters depth.

Canyons facing the Basque country

Ana de la Torriente

At last, the ROV is up and running and we plan on working all day with it off two seamounts, one in front of Ondarroa and the other facing the Orio estuary.

We pass by two trawlers, from Gijon and Vigo, on our way to the canyons, working in waters 7 and 10 miles from the coast. This destructive fishing technique seriously damages benthic ecosystems and uses non-selective fishing gear that is detrimental to traditional fishing communities.

At the first canyon, at approximately 10 nautical miles from the coast, we submerge the ROV and work for almost 4 hours, travelling almost 1 nautical mile. At 150 meters depth, we find a muddy seabed where the detritus increases as we descend and advance towards the inside of the canyon.

We document giant sea pens (Funiculina quadrangularis), some cuttlefish (Sepiola atlántica) burying themselves in the sand, various octopus (Eledone cirrhosa), many catsharks (Sciliorhinus canicula), various crustaceans, like rugose squat lobsters (Munida rugosa), and crinoids (Leptometra celtica). As well as: sea pens (Pennatula posphorea), a monkfish (Lophius sp.), a white holothurian (Eostichopus regalis), groups of Cerianthus membranaceus, areas with abundant prawns (Pandalus montagui), some hake (Merluccius merluccius), forkbeards (Phycis blennoides) and pouts (Trisopterus luscus), anemones (Sagartia cf. elegans), and some glass sponges.

A group of silvery pouts (Gadiculus argenteus) accompanied us for a while, possibly attracted to the light. Watching the anemone Anemonactis cf. mazeli capture a silvery pout was impressive, as it lifted its body out of the sand, wrapped itself around its prey and quickly buried itself again.

Since we had already spotted various trawlers in the area, we weren't surprised to find scars on the seabed along the mile we travelled, made by the pressure of the trawler doors on the substrate that destroy everything along their path.

We surveyed the area by zig-zagging around the canyon facing the Orio estuary. Since we finished at around 7 p.m., we decided to leave the dive with the ROV for tomorrow and return to the port of Zumaia to spend the night.

21 July, 2008

Jesús Renedo

This morning, we departed from Zumaia to dive off the coast between the ports of Mutriku and Ondarroa. We left at 9 a.m., a bit later than usual, because we had to change crews.

Juan Sigler (support diver) and Sergio Gosálvez (underwater photographer) have left, and Jorge Candán and Pilar Barros are once again aboard the Ranger.

We started the campaign in Vigo 52 days ago, but if we count the crossing from Valencia and the last days we've spend getting everything ready, we’ve been sailing now for more than two months, with four crew members on board, and the cook, Patricia. We are the only ones who have not changed; three campaign chiefs have come, various ROV operators, divers and some guests, so the campaign personnel has been changing periodically.

Bibi, Mario, Jus , Patricia and I are enjoying the sailing, especially around the Atlantic coast and the Cantabrian, in spite of the hard work. Each port is unique: the docks, marinas, towns and cities. It's very different from the Mediterranean, where the marinas all look the same, with their nightlife, bars, cafes and apartment buildings. Here, each port has its own personality. We are constantly surprised by the landscapes we see from the ocean: the mountains, valleys, green prairies, forests, cliffs, estuaries and the small fishing ports that suddenly appear amongst all of this beauty.

Calling and asking for a berth is also very different, everyone helps us and is very nice. Many people come to say hello and ask us questions and we leave behind many friends at each stop.

We’ve been lucky with the weather and have worked almost every day.

20 July, 2008

Ana de la Torriente

We left early to reach the canyons before the wind picked up so we could work comfortably, without the boat moving too much. We reached the Potera Arrechu seamount and surveyed the area but did not find any significant changes in depth. A group of 15 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) appeared directly over the seamount and played with the bow.

Taking advantage that we were close to the canyon facing Ondarroa, we went there to survey the area and study its morphology, in order to identify possible areas were we could work with the ROV once we installed it and submerged it to 300 meters depth. Like the rest of the canyons where we’ve worked in the Cantabrian, we were impressed by the sharp vertical drops and slopes that, in this case, dropped from 137 meters to 500 meters depth.

Urdaibai

Ana de la Torriente

Today, we will spend the day diving around Urdaibai while the ROV technicians install and test the equipment.

The natural areas from Mundaka to Gernika that comprise the Oka River, which extends to the Urdaibai marshes, were declared a Biosphere Reserve. Interestingly enough, we are finding an abundance of fish precisely in the areas where many species lay their eggs –such as shallow areas near the mouths of the estuaries and marshes. As such, protecting the Urdaibai area and other similar ecosystems contributes to the maintenance of biodiversity and we are proud to be a part of that.

The diving was carried out early in the morning, off the area NE of the Izaro Island, a rocky mound that falls from the surface of the ocean to 25 meters depth.

The most amazing part was the most superficial area, up to 10 meters depth, where once again, there was an abundance of fish: saddled seabreams (Oblada melanura), bogues (Boops boops), grey mullets (Mugil sp.), seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), black seabreams (Spondyliosoma cantharus) and ocean sunfish (Mola mola). Under 15 meters depth, a strong thermocline marked a sudden change in temperature, from 10ºC in the shallower areas to 14 ºC in the deeper areas.

We found fields of various species of gorgonians in the deeper waters (Eunicella verrucosa, Leptogorgia tormentosa, Leptogorgia lusitanica). And we also detected many discarded fishing lines on the seabed.

After the divers came up and we finished installing and setting up the ROV, we tested it in that same area, at 40 meters depth, to confirm that it was operating correctly before submerging it to 200 meters depth at the canyons. At the same time, SE of the Izaro Island, two Portuguese man o’war were pulled by the currents towards the closest beaches.

At night, we carried out a night dive on the rocky seabed, SE of Izaro Island, were we anchored and spent the night. This area was similar to other Cantabrian areas in that the seabed was covered by sporophytes (Falkenbergia rufolanosa) and other algae from the Codium, Peyssonelia and Cystoseira families. Corallina elongata and Padina pavonica were also present, although in smaller amounts.

Capes Matxitxaco and Ogoño

Ana de la Torriente

We departed from port early in the morning in order to take advantage of the day and document the area during three dives with the divers.

The first dive was carried out off Cape Matxitxaco, an area surrounded by small fishing boats. The seabed was a continuation of the cape, a rocky arm with N-NW orientation and depths of 18 meters that drops down to 30 meters depth. On the top, the blocks of rock are very colourful and harbour a variety of organisms. Apart from the invertebrates, such as gorgonians (Leptogorgia tormentosa, Alcyonium glomeratum), anemones (Corynactis viridis, Parazoanthus axinellae) and sponges (Cliona celata), we also spotted various species of fish, amongst them, schools of small bonito (Sarda sarda), scorpionfish (Scorpaena sp.), cuckoo wrasse (Labrus bimaculatus), Ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta), Portuguese blennies (Parablennius ruber), various eels (Muraena helena) and ocean sunfish (Mola mola).

We also carried out the second dive off Cape Matxitxaco, off the eastern side, in an area known as Arribolas. The underwater landscape was completely different, comprised of a sandy seabed and a few rocks. The divers were very enthusiastic because, apart from the biodiversity on the seabed and the wonderful visibility, they spotted various species of fish: schools of bogues (Boop boops), cleaner-wrasse (Centrolabrus rupestris), ocean sunfish (Mola mola), a large group of mullets (Mullus surmuletus) and a greater weever (Trachinus draco) atop the sandy seabed. They also found an amazing field of large gorgonians at 15 meters depth, comprised mainly of Leptogorgia lusitánica and Leptogorgia sarmentosa. However, they also found discarded fishing lines on the seabed, as always.

We carried out the last dive on the NE face of Cape Ogoño. All three dives were characterised by different seabeds, but the most surprising element was the abundance of fish the divers found, many of them typically Mediterranean. In this case, the cliff drops to 25 meters depth and we found schools of bogues (Boops boops) and jack mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), seabreams (Diplodus vulgaris), seabass (Serranus cabrilla) and mullets (Mullus surmuletus).

San Juan de Gaztelugatxe protected biotope

Ana de la Torriente

We spent the day working on the Gaztelugatxe protected biotope, the only marine protected area in the Basque Country, apart from the Mundaka estuary that is within the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve.

We carried out two dives off the two islands within the protected area, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe and Aketze.

On the first island, there is an old church from the tenth century that must have been a monastery for the Knights Templar. The Aketze islote is isolated and is a sanctuary for marine birds.

Press conference in Bilbao

Jesús Renedo

Today was a very special day. We didn’t go sailing, but instead, we’ve spent the morning in port, in Getxo, doing some cleaning and maintenance work. In the afternoon, we went up the Bilbao estuary to the maritime museum, escorted by Unai Basurko and his regatta team.

The Basque country

Ana de la Torriente

We depart early from Getxo to carry out two dives with the divers, one north of the Villano Islote and another off the Culebra seamount, located on the Meñacoz coast.

We have been very lucky with the weather, so far. Sunny days and slight winds have allowed us to work comfortably.

On the Villano Islote, atop a rocky seabed, we find anemones (Aiptasia mutabilis), groups of nudibranchs (Hipselodoris tricolor), various sea slugs (vaquitas suizas ) and Eudendrium hydrozoans, off which various species of nudibranchs are feeding.

Callejos de Bamboa seamount ans Saltacaballos point

Ana de la Torriente

Finally, the ROV technicians couldn’t solve the problem and decided the best option was to take it to Barcelona, because it would be easier to solve technical problems there. Joan and Manuel left with the ROV and we continued our work with the divers in shallow waters.

We started the day with a dive off the Callejos de Bamboa seamount atop large blocks of rock on a sandy-muddy seabed.

During the dive, we documented an abundance of gorgonians, spider crabs Maja squinado, bryozoans Pentapora foliácea, pouts Trisopterus luscus, cuckoo wrasse (Labrus bimaculatus) and scorpionfish (Scorpaena sp.). On the substrate, the alga Peyssonnelia sp. was an intense red.

In the muddy area, we found female specimens of Bonellia viridis at 29 meters depth. The female of this species is a green, contractile organism that measures 15 cm length and is not protected by any kind of tube. It can stretch itself and reach various meters in length. The male, however, is usually not longer than 3 mm and lives inside the female as a parasite. When a specimen of this species is born, it is asexual. If it doesn’t find a female, it turns into one. But if it does find a female, it seeks refuge inside it and develops into endosymbiont male.

The divers also documented a male Symphodus baillonii building a nest in which the females, which are part of a harem, will subsequently lay their eggs.

The second dive, off Saltacaballos Point, covered a rocky area with strong presence of algae on the top and overhangs. Amongst the species of algae, we documented Peyssonellia, Mesophyllum, Cystoseira, Gelidium, Zanardinia, Falkenbergia and Codium. On the ledges, we spotted many invertebrates, particularly the nudibranch Cadlina pellucida on top of a sponge and the prawn Periclimenes sagittifer living in symbiosis with the anemone Anemonia sulcata. In a cave, they also photographed a leopard-spotted goby Thorogobius ephippiatus, which is not frequently found.

After the dives, we surveyed the Castro Verde seamount up to 325 meters depth. This seamount, some 10 nautical miles from Castro Urdiales, is a traditional fishing area. The profile showed us several interesting walls for diving with the ROV, but since it’s not working right now, we left with the hopes of returning after our trip to the Basque Region.

Cotonera island and the whale of Sonabia reisited

Ana de la Torriente

We returned to Sonabia in order to document the sea floors in that area. We carried out the first dive off Cotonera Island, in front of Islares, where there are various rock formations atop a sandy seabed. The top part of the rock formations was covered in Cystoseira algae and we found other species on the rocky walls, including Berthella sp., Echinaster sepositus, Hypselodoris tricolor and Alcyonium glomeratum.

Enrique Talledo, underwater photographer on board the Ranger and a local, told us that this area used to be full of lobsters. The divers, though, didn’t see any.

We carried out the second dive off the whale of Sonabia, again. This is the third time we are diving here so the morphology is similar to the one I described a few days ago, although the rocky passageways in this area were not as clearly defined. We take photographs of large gorgonians, holothurians, anemones and starfish.

Amongst the fish species, we find the same ones we’ve seen along this coast: mullets (Mullus surmuletus), seabass (Serranus cabrilla), rainbow wrasse (Coris julis) and cuckoo wrasse (Labrus bimaculatus).

Once again, we find remnants of fishing gear on the seabed.

Before returning to port, Ricardo Aguilar and Enrique Talledo take a tour of the Oriñón estuary on the zodiac with Bibi. They weren’t able to document the seabed, but they did identify an amazing seagrass ecosystem comprised of Zostera noltii and oysters (Ostrea edulis) at shallow depths (less than 1 meter). The Zostera prairies usually harbour flat fish such as sole, and other species are associated to oyster reefs, such as European eels (Anguilla anguilla), pipefish (Syngnathus sp.) and Carcinus crabs, amongst others.

Seahorses come to this estuary to lay their eggs, but we weren’t lucky enough to see any.

We also took a tour around the Sonabia coast and beach on the zodiac. The seabed, comprised of rows of rocks atop a sandy bed, harboured many young fish that swam around the Cystoseira fields that covered the rocks. The rocks that were above sea level, exposed to the waves, were covered by trottoir.

The mouth of the Oriñón estuary

Ana de la Torriente

In the morning, we return to the mouth of the Oriñón estuary to dive, once off the whale of Sonabia and then again off the Cercadas Islands.

For the first dive, we return to the underwater passageways of the Whale, where some rocks are 6 meters high and many of them are covered with red calcareous algae.

We spot various species of large gorgonians at 18 meters depth: Eunicella verrucosa, Leptogorgia tormentosa and Leptogorgia lusitanica. And other species, such as the sponges Axinella polypoides, Cliona celata, Sycon sp. and the cnidarian Leptosammia pruvoti.

For the second dive, we covered the smallest island of the Cercadas Islands, which is completely perforated underneath and has passageways and caves that harbour species that prefer darkness, such as conger eels (Conger conger) and glass prawns (Palaemon elegans). We also found other crustaceans, including European lobsters (Homarus gammarus) and velvet crabs (Necora puber). The rocky walls were covered in sponges and cnidarians, such as Actinothoe sphyrodeta.

Eastern coast of Cantabria, Buitrera coast and the whale of Sonabia point

Ana de la Torriente

We say goodbye to Santander under cloudy skies and set sail towards our next port, Castro Urdiales.

During the first dive, off the Morcejonera rock in front of Ris beach, the flat seabed was comprised of sand and small rocks. The rocky area was covered with Cystoseira algae. We also spot some areas covered with Gelidium algae.

Sperm Whale dead 1.70 nautical miles from shore

Ana de la Torriente

We took advantage of the lack of wind and calm day and made two dives near the shore.

In the first dive, at Bajo El Doble or Ganzanilla off De Berria beach, we found a sea bottom with rocks at different elevations and overhangs where the great majority of the rock is covered by some calcareous reds.

In this area of large sea fans (Leptogorgia lusitanica and Eunicella verrcuosa), we also recorded several different organisms such as ascidians Botryllus, anemones Epizoanthus and soft coral Alcyonium glomeratum. For the first time we found a specimen of sponge of the genus Sarcotragus, characteristic of the Mediterranean.

As in the rest of the areas where we have gone diving up to now, in spite of having seen some cabrillas (Serranus cabrilla) and wrasses such as Mediterranean rainbow wrasses (Coris julis) and Cuckoo wrasses (Labrus bimaculatus), the scarcity of fish is surprising.

As we were sailing toward Cabo de Ajo, the sight of the second dive, we sighted a dead sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) some 1.70 nautical miles off Ensenada de Isla. As it was in an advanced state of decomposition, and as we thought it may reach one of the beaches, we notified Marine Search and Rescue.

At Cabo de Ajo, at a depth of about 15 meters, the sandy bottom was crossed by 2 meter high rocks parallel to the shore. On the rocks, covered with jewel anemones Corynactis viridis of several different colors, we found sponges, hydrozoans and laminarias.

Sergio Gosalvez also photographed a spider crab Inachus phalangium amid the tentacles of Anemonia sulcata, with which it usually lives in association.

Cabezo la Vaca y Cabo Quejo

Ana de la Torriente

Finally the sea offered us a beautiful calm day, so we planned two dives with deep-sea divers, un under Cabezo la Vaca and the other at Cabo Quejo.

In the first dive, at less than 1 nautical mile from shore, to the west of Cabo Mayor, the rocky bottom was covered by algae, mainly of the genera Gelidium and Cystoseira. On the rocky cornices, we found anemones of the genus Aiptasia and in the areas with crevices and caves, sponges of the genera Cliona and Pachymatisma and fishes such as black scorpionfish Scorpaena porcus, flatfish Trisopterus luscus, and conger eels Conger conger.

Bahía de Santander. Isla de la Torre

Ana de la Torriente

After two days waiting in Santander without having been able to dive at all, everyone on board is anxious to dive and document the sea bottom. However, working conditions outside the bay continue to be unsuitable.

Pablo López invites us to go diving with him at Isla de la Torre, an area strongly influenced by tidal currents. In spite of poor visibility, we are surprised by the seabed's great biodiversity. At a depth of just 5 and 8 meters, above a rocky substratum, Kike Talledo used the dive as an opportunity to photograph the abundance of nudibranchs belonging to 7 different species. We found numerous spots were these mollusks were found, mainly the species Flabellina affinis and Dondice banyulensis, two species that are difficult to find elsewhere.

7 July, 2008

Grey Seal in Santander Bay

Joan and Manuel continue working to solve the ROV’s problems, but for now, we still can’t document deep seabeds.

Since the weather conditions outside the bay do not allow the divers to work, we stay in port and carry out some maintenance work on the equipment.

Pablo López, a biologist who works in the Santander Marine Museum, let us know that a grey seal (Halichoerus gripus) had entered the bay and was resting on a ramp at the Marina del Cantábrico, so we took the small boat and headed over to the port to photograph and document it.

We spent the rest of the day in Santander, wishing for good weather so we could dive while the ROV was being repaired.

The dive at La Maruca, at approximately 120 meters depth, was complicated due to the strong currents that dragged the boat. We found sea urchins (Echinus acutus), holothurians (Eostichopus regalis) and Thor’s scaldfish (Arnoglossus thori) on the sandy seabed (ripples). As we advanced over the seabed, we found a steep, rocky wall where we filmed corals (Dendrophyllia cornigera), gorgonians (Paramuricea cf. Placomus, Acanthogorgia hirsuta), sponges (Phakellia ventilabrum, Geodia sp., Rosella sp.), holothurians (Holothuria forskalii), sea stars (Marthasterias glacialis, Echinaster sepositus), brachipods and hydrozoans.

Special mention must be made of the enormous mixed field of gorgonians, Phakellia ventilabrum sponges, Dendrophyllia cornigera corals and hydrozoans, as well as the impressive field of Leptometra celtica crinoids over the rocky seabed. This species of crinoid is found on the sandy-muddy substrate in the Mediterranean.

The second dive with the ROV was at the El Castro seamount, approximately 6 miles from the coast, also in front of Galizano. We documented the seabed at approximately 115 meters depth, where we found a gorgonian and sponge field, including the presence of Phakellia ventilabrum sponges over a soft seabed (sand-mud).

In Cantabria

Ana de la Torriente

First thing in the morning, we returned to the Llanes Canyon and submerged the ROV up to 240 meters depth. We documented the flat, sandy seabed with low density of organisms. Although we did find various specimens of the anemone Actinauge richardi, holothurians Eostichopus regalis and sea urchins Echinus acutus. It seems especially important that we are recording few fish sightings during the entire campaign off the Cantabrian coast.

On our way to the next port, Santander, we dove in front of Cape Oyambre, less than 1 nautical mile away. Despite the low visibility, we spotted various species of sponges, sea urchins and mullets (Mullus surmuletus) on the mixed seabed comprised of stones, rocks and sand.

We recorded the depth in order to carry out a dive with the ROV in the Torriente seamount, but we had to change our plans because we found an abandoned net hanging across the rocks and could not risk the ROV getting tangled in it.

In the Cabezo Coraje seamount, in front of Calderón point, we submerged the ROV to 80 meters depth. We found a sponge field comprised of Phakellia ventilabrum on the rocky, sandy seabed. This species usually occurs in places with strong currents where suspended organisms are easy to catch.

We also documented other sponges from the Geodia sp. family, yellow tree coral Dendrophyllia cornigera, brachipods, gorgonians (Eunicella verrucosa, Paramuricea cf. placomus), bryozoans and sea stars (Masthasterias glacialis, Chaetaster longipes). As far as fish species are concerned, we found cuckoo wrasse (Labrus bimaculatus), seabass (Serranus cabrilla), rainbow wrasse (Coris julis) and pollack (Pollachius pollachius).

Traveling to Cantabria

Ana de la Torriente

We begin the day by planning a dive in front of Cape Peñas, but we had to suspend it due to the wind and rough seas, and decided to set sail to Cantabria.

We recorded the depth at various points around Llanes Canyon in order to get an idea of the morphology of the seabed and identify possible dive spots.

As we were doing this, we sighted a group of 25 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) jumping out of the water some 7 miles from the coast; possibly hunting. At exactly the same time, the depth probe emitted two signals, one at 150 and another at 500 meters depth. The shallower depth was probably a false alarm caused by the currents. These dolphins, one of the most abundant species in the Cantabrian, are threatened by the use of non-selective fishing gear, such as pelagic trawling, which causes the deaths of many of these animals.

We stayed the night at the port of San Vicente de la Barquera.

Cup sponges at 25 meters depth

Silvia García

What a day. Peñas Cape has surprised us with a forest of cup sponges (Phakellia ventilabrum) at only 25 meters depth. The divers dove off the Merendálvarez reef, NNE of the cape, and recognised it because they’ve seen it so many times on the seabeds we’ve filmed with the ROV, always at 80-100 meters depth.

They filmed and photographed it, documenting the enormous amount of deep-sea sponges we found in this area. Close to this location, but at 70-80 meters depth, we are once again thrilled to see the richness of the seabeds comprised of corals, sponges and large fish.

The rocks appear to be completely covered by different colour corals, and each centimeter of rock is worth seeing.

Still in the Avilés Canyon

Silvia García

The objective today is to film in the Fría Cove where hake is fished (Merluccius merluccius) near the Avilés Canyon, and the fishermen’s association of Cudillero has requested we document the area.

We find clouds of silvery pouts (Galiculus argenteus), a small fish that constitutes the main diet for hake in this area. There is quite a large amount, so the hake have enough food, but we were not lucky enough to find them this time. Later, we head towards Peñas Cape once again in order to submerge the robot at 80-90 meters depth and document the NW area.

We can’t film the sponge forests we find as much as we’d like because, yet again, there is an abandoned net covering the most interesting area and we are forced to cancel the dive.

Avilés Canyon, southern area

Silvia García

Today, we tried to find the white coral again. The current has made it impossible to combine the movement of the boat with the current at 200 meters depth, where the ROV was located. The boat would continuously be dragged away from the ROV and it was impossible to follow the route we had planned. We carry out two dives, without success.

White coral in the Avilés Canyon

Silvia García

We reach the Avilés Canyon, 17 miles northwest of Gijón. The canyon drops to almost 2000 meters depth and is one of the deepest in the world, only 8 miles from the mouth of the Avilés estuary or ria. Ye el paraisu de los "Kraken", in other words, it is one of the few places in the world where the Architeuthis dux or giant squid can be found.

This canyon also harbours other treasures: two emblematic species of white coral, Madrepora occulata and Lophelia pertusa. These corals can form reefs that date back more than 8,000 years, but always in cold waters –they tolerate a maximum of 13-13.5 ºC.

A marine protected area has been created in Norwegian waters to conserve the enormous reef there, which is located very close to the coast, is various kilometers long and up to 35 meters high. There, the corals occur at 80 meters depth. In the Cantabrian Sea, we’ve found them at 230 meters depth.

Cold-water coral reefs are considered essential habitats because these ecosystems are used by many species during a critical period in their life cycles. The reefs promote reproduction, mating, feeding and/or offer protection for many species. As such, we were very excited about our discovery. Only 5 minutes worth of filming and an abandoned fishing line threatens us. It was nerve-wracking until we untangled the robot. We took down the coordinates of the location of the coral in order to return and document it in detail.

Pilot Whales in Asturias

Silvia García

Today we are going to do research in the Avilés Canyon. For hours, we zigzag with the boat in order to create a complete profile of the seabed with the computers on board. That way we can decide which area we are going to film. The steeper the slope, the more species we are likely to find, because specific species appear as depth increases or decreases.

At 8:00, as we are leaving the Ria de Viveiro, we start the day off with a large group of common dolphins –around 25-, calm seas and gentle sailing towards the mouth of the estuary. We are lucky enough to see a young dolphin jumping vigorously, lifting his entire body out of the water. It's a shame we didn’t get it on film.

This time, we head towards the north, 4.5 miles from the estuary, or half an hour’s worth of sailing. The place does not have an official name. It’s a sandbar, and it has a longer shape, different from a seamount. We submerge the ROV at 153 meters and film for 3 hours and 10 minutes, traveling less than 1 mile. The robot has to move slowly because we must stop and zoom in on anything interesting.

The importance of Cedeira

Ricardo Aguilar

Many of you will not remember, or were not born yet, but years ago, some of us worked hard on a document called "La Carta de Cedeira." This text requested the banning of bottom trawling, the creation of marine reserves and support for sustainable fisheries. This would not have been significant if it weren’t for the fact that the document was signed by most of the fleets operating in the Cantabrian and Galician Atlantic.

And here we are again today, a little older. The proposal to create a marine reserve inside the Cedeira estuary has almost become a reality. Today we have a meeting with the chief captain of the Cedeira fishermen’s association, which is the driving force behind this proposal. Tomorrow, we have another meeting with veteran fishermen and Antonio Garcia Allud, a fishing anthropologist (with whom we have already worked and supported in the creation of the Lira reserve), to identify the best seabeds, film them and support the reserve.

Minke whales

Silvia García

Our second day filming the Bermeo seamount was very special. Three Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) have accompanied our boat for more than 1 hour, getting as close as 2-3 meters from us. They were feeding, two large and one small whale, which is the one that came close to us various times. The adults were less curious. This seamount is a hot spot for marine life in the area. We’ve spotted schools of fish, dolphins, marine birds, and even the Minke whales, feeding.

The Minke whale is the most common of the rorquals and the smallest. The adults can reach up to 7 to 10 meters in length. Proof exists that these whales have been sighted in the past in the waters of Galicia. Distribution is practically worldwide and these whales can be found in tropical, temperate, and polar waters in both hemispheres. We saw its pointed snout because it lifts its head out of the water, and then its back, when it surfaces to breathe. We also saw the white bands on the pectoral fins that are perfectly visible even when the whale is underwater. In the photographs, we can also see how the transition from the white of the whale's belly to the darker hues of its back form characteristic "shapes" on the whale’s flanks, different for each individual.

Bermeo Seamount

Silvia García

We departed from Malpica and headed towards the Baldaio bank, only 3 miles off the coast. The divers are going to dive in the main canal that divides the bank in two sections. We must take into account that there will probably be strong currents. The minimum depth at this bank, measured during the lowest tide of the year, is 9 meters. The immersion will be carried out between 10 and 23 meters. Later, we head towards the Bermeo bank, 4.5 miles off Fruseira Point. At 14:00, we already have the ROV in the water. Depth is 43 meters, so we take a look then we move 2 miles west where we find the same bank.

We'll do more dives here because this seamount is quite large and we have to document various slopes.

17 June, 2008

Silvia García

We carried out two immersions with the ROV and two dives with the divers, covering the west, north and southeast coasts of the islands, so we’ve seen a variety of seabeds today. It’s a shame, though, that the dives with the ROV have been shorter than planned -we usually go for 3 hours- and we had to take it out of the water because we found an abandoned net in front of us, hooked on to a rock. If the ROV gets tangled in the net, we may not be able to disentangle it and, at these depths, we risk losing the ROV altogether. That is why nets, lines, ropes, anchorages, traps, etc. that we frequently find abandoned along the way are a threat to both the film crew (ROV and divers) and the environment in which they are found.

The abandoned traps, for example, still capture animals that die inside of them, unable to escape. The ropes and lines act like guillotines for everything that crosses their path, because the currents move them, “decapitating” corals, gorgonians, sponges, etc. and nothing can grow in their radius of action. The same goes for the nets, which continue to trap animals for years after they've been abandoned.

Malpica port

Silvia García

That’s the North for you. Force 6 winds mean we are stuck at port. We certainly can’t work in these conditions, but some purseiners are heading out. We spend the day in port and many locals come by, interested in our ship and the work we are doing in the area.

Activity at the port is hectic, it seems that the fishermen have taken advantage of the transportation strike to repair their nets and now they must load them on board again. We take many photographs and some of us go to the fish market to see what fish are for sale: seabass, mackerel, gilthead seabreams, rays and very small spotted catsharks, amongst others.

We are still in the Sisargas Islands

Silvia García

We now head towards the northern coasts of the islands. The divers have to work double today, because we’ve changed ROV pilots and Mauro, the new pilot, doesn’t get here until this afternoon.

The first dive is at a seamount that surfaces up to 15 meters. Although the weather conditions are quite complicated today (it's windy and wavy), we are not going to cancel the dive. Later, we notice that the currents have made their job even more complicated and the divers come out of the water exhausted. This means the next dive will be carried out in a sheltered area, near the island. The seabeds are at 15 and 19 meters, which means the divers can stay underwater for more than one hour. Right now we are looking for general images of the seabeds in this area. Next time, we will look for details and take macro photographs, because the rocks are completely covered by small corals, bryozoans, hydrozoans, nematodes and a variety of species we must document.

The Sisargas Islands

Silvia García

We are now near the Sisargas Islands, a groups of islands that were not included in the National Park of the Atlantic Islands. As such, the sea bottoms are not protected and fishing activities around the islands are not regulated according to environmental interests. The distance that separates these islands from the ones included in the National Park is significant. This seems to be one of the reasons why they were not included, because managing this whole area would be quite difficult. So we begin to document these bottoms, in order to prove they require protection. We document a large quantity of corals and sponges during two immersions with the ROV.

As far as cetaceans are concerned, today we are lucky enough to see a Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) before 11 a.m., although we were not able to document it. Josi, the head diver, sees its tailfin and alerts us. We were able to see the dorsal fin and part of its body, whitish in colour. This means the specimen is quite old because they get whiter as they age. They can measure up to 4 meters in length and this one seems quite large.

Venus’ girdle

Silvia García

Today, we will be filming in a seamount known as Villar de Fuertes, 12 miles off the Muros estuary. We submerge the ROV to 100 meters and find a large concentration of Venus’ girdles in the first 15 meters (Cestum veneris), a ctenophore than can reach up to 1.5 meters in length. We also spot a few salps (Salpa maxima). For three hours, we filmed a wide variety of species on sandy rippled bottoms and rock bottoms brimming with life. The bottoms are once again very diverse, loaded with yellow tree corals, black coral, echinoderms and, above all, many cup sponges (Phakellia sp.) and fish, including scorpionfish, Ballan wrasse, seabass, streaked gurnards, rockfish, etc. As far as the cetaceans are concerned, we only spotted one common dolphin, who took advantage of the Ranger’s movements in the water to play for a few minutes.

11 June, 2008

Silvia García

At last we were able to get some work done. After two days in port, we were beginning to get nervous. We fixed the crane and are working on the ROV. The divers are documenting some fantastic gorgonians at 40m depth, at last. Bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins and even a basking shark measuring over 4 meters (Cetorhinus maximus) has escaped our cameras, so we have to be much quicker next time. We were lucky today because, as soon as we reached the Ameixides seamounts, facing Monte Louro in the Muros and Noya estuaries, we found a veritable feeding festival: seagulls (hundreds of them), gannets, all young specimens, more than a hundred, fishing as only they know how and other birds (storm petrels, shearwaters, terns), the dolphins and the basking shark.

When they surface, the seamounts constitute a source of nourishment taken advantage of by the whole food chain.

Spectacular.