Cañón de Arousa Atlantic Pelagic

Chasula Aves runs dedicated offshore pelagic birding expeditions aboard the Chasula, a 14-metre vessel skippered by Captain Isidro Mariño, departing from the O Grove area of southwest Galicia. Trips head west and southwest beyond the Illas Atlánticas de Galicia National Park — past the protected oceanic islands of Sálvora and Ons — into the Cañón de Arousa, a submarine canyon system where the Atlantic continental shelf drops steeply and cold nutrient-rich upwelling concentrates seabirds in open ocean conditions up to 12 nautical miles offshore. Chumming is deployed to draw birds alongside the vessel throughout the session.

Galicia occupies a uniquely productive position on the Atlantic coast of Iberia. The cold Canary Current upwelling meets nutrient-rich Atlantic water off Cape Finisterre and the outer Galician rías, creating some of the most productive marine habitat in Western Europe within reach of a half-day offshore run. The waters west of Sálvora and Ons are far enough from the coast to encounter true oceanic seabirds yet close enough to the breeding colonies on the national park islands to see species commuting between land and feeding grounds. The dedicated eBird hotspot L4951091 ("Cañón de Arousa - Pelágicas, barco Chasula") has accumulated 57 species from documented offshore sessions.

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris borealis) is common from April to October, when thousands of birds breed on the Canary Islands and Azores and forage northward into Galician waters. Balearic Shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus — Critically Endangered, approximately 15,000–20,000 birds globally, the rarest breeding seabird in Europe) is regularly seen, with roosts of up to 1,500 birds recorded in La Lanzada bay near O Grove; peak sightings are April–June and September–October. Sooty Shearwater and Great Shearwater occur in autumn on southward post-breeding dispersal from their sub-Antarctic and North Atlantic breeding grounds respectively. Wilson's Storm-Petrel is a regular offshore visitor in summer and autumn. Sabine's Gull is a notable autumn migrant. All four skua species — Pomarine Skua, Arctic Skua, Long-tailed Skua, and Great Skua — pass through in autumn migration. Manx Shearwater breeds in large numbers nearby on the Galician coast and offshore islands, and is a constant presence year-round. Cetaceans including Common Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, and Fin Whale are frequently encountered.

The operation is coordinated by Xabier Vázquez Pumariño (Habitaq Estratexias); Captain Isidro Mariño (Intramar, SL) skippers the Chasula. Trip reports are regularly published at chasulaaves.wordpress.com, documenting offshore observations from sessions through at least June 2026. The blog, which has been active since at least 2011, functions in Galician and Spanish and provides species lists and at-sea photographs from recent pelagic dates. Book by contacting [email protected] or [email protected] (Xabier Vázquez Pumariño); the trip is also bookable through the InGreen Spain ecotourism platform.