Near Capbreton beach there is an underwater canyon. A place renowned for the beauty of the landscapes and the stay of exceptional fauna and flora. The Gouf is a 300 km long canyon that reaches 4,800 meters deep. To learn more about this strange underwater valley, we interviewed two experts: Hugo Verlomme , writer and journalist specializing in Gouf, as well as Clément Brouste , animal behaviorist, founder of Apex Cetacea (center dedicated to observation and research for cetaceans, more particularly in the Gouf de Capbreton).
Interview with Hugo Verlomme
Who are you ?
My name is Hugo Verlomme, passionate about the ocean and Hossegor since childhood, I have written more than 30 books on the ocean, I live in Capbreton, I practice bodysurfing and I became interested in the canyon since 2005. Since 2015 I have organized, with the town of Capbreton and the sponsorship of Ifremer, the Gouf Days which bring together researchers, scientists and other canyon enthusiasts. We have just released a novel, co-written with Valentine Karwoski, in which it is about the Gouf: “The Bitten Finger” (the name of a fishing spot in the canyon). I also wrote “The Trail of Water”, an autobiographical story where the Gouf is also present.
What is Gouf?
For a long time people believed that it was a fault, a pit, without really knowing what it was. However, without the canyon, Capbreton and Hossegor would not exist. The places where we live have a geological history before having a human history. There was a river, the Adour, which flowed into the canyon, and surely rivers. What makes this canyon unique is that it is connected to the coastline and is both long and deep at its end. You can swim from Capbreton or Hossegor beach and find yourself above the “head” of the canyon. These are the only rocks on the coast.
How was it created?
It's a whole process that takes place over millions and millions of years, through plate tectonics and changing sea levels, with this canyon located in the extension of the Pyrenean fault. 20,000 years ago, the sea level was 130 meters lower, so our ancestors could walk to the head of the Gouf!
Does the Gouf have an influence on the famous wave of the North of Hossegor?
Yes absolutely, the North is generated by certain reliefs of the head of the Gouf. Recently, we have been working on the bathymetry of this area. With the perspective of divers, like Nicolas Bidou from Aquanautes, and surfers who regularly practice the North, Alex and Guillaume Mangiarotti, we were able to determine by what mechanisms this mythical wave, one of the best known in France, is formed.
Last summer we launched a participatory toponymy competition with IFREMER (French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea) and SHOM (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy) to name eight specific places in the Gouf. The place where the North is formed was therefore called La Rampe. What makes it special is that it is a “reef break”, a “reef wave” which always forms in the same place. It's a legendary wave in Europe since the 1960s and 70s, it attracts surfers from all over the world ready to surf the North.
In Portugal, the Nazaré wave (largest wave in the world) is formed thanks to the presence of a canyon similar to that of Capbreton, hence the twinning of the two towns since 2018. How deep is the Gouf?
It descends gently from the head of Gouf. 300 m from the coast of Capbreton, it is only a few dozen meters deep then, 300 km further, it reaches a maximum depth of 4,800 meters in the abyssal plain of the Bay of Biscay.
Why is Gouf so little known?
Before I took care of it, people knew the name, the word, but didn't always know what was behind it. It is not known because it is underwater, hidden by the surface. To make things known underwater requires a lot of imagination and a lot of effort to explain everything. Make the invisible visible. We only know 10% of the seabed.
Are there any myths, legends?
There are no legends yet because people didn't know about the canyon. Legends are being created now!
What are Gouf Days?
These are very dense days where lovers of the Gouf and the Ocean, researchers, scientists, sailors, fishermen, divers, surfers, artists, enthusiasts come together to celebrate this formidable geological heritage which is also a hotspot for marine biodiversity. The next Gouf-related event will take place on October 22, 2022 in Capbreton. The event is open to all and free, to follow on the City of Capbreton website .
You can find the latest book by Hugo Verlomme and Valentine Karwoski “The Bitten Finger” in bookstores or on the internet . After meeting Hugo Verlomme, we had the chance to discuss animal behaviorism, Clément Boustre, for Apex Cetacea .
What is Apex Cetacea?
It is a center dedicated to the observation and research of cetaceans, more particularly in the Gouf de Capbreton. We also offer expeditions open to the general public so that people can come with us to observe these animals, in an ethical and responsible manner. These expeditions help finance our studies. This also allows us to have an education and conservation focus to protect these animals. Everyone is a winner, people can have a great time, thanks to these expeditions, we can finance our studies, then thanks to these studies we can learn more about these animals and therefore protect them. The story began last year, in January 2021, in the middle of Covid.
Who is on the Apex Cetacea team?
There is a professional part and an associative part. Alexis, the "Main Skipper" and marine biologist. Ines, the research director. Romain alias Mowgli, diver and diver. Karine, intern in marine biology and me, animal behaviorism, manager of all research and director of Apex Cetacea.
What animals can be observed in the Gouf de Capbreton?
There are many species here. We see a lot of Delphinidae (large family of dolphins). We are going to have the bottlenose dolphin (Flipper the dolphin 🐬), they are there all year round. The closer the summer period approaches, the closer they come to the coast. We will also have the common dolphin, in the summer there are huge pods (pods: group of dolphins), we can observe pods of 100, 200, 300 dolphins at the same time. There are also Stenella, the white and blue dolphin. Pilot whales are the large black dolphins that are often confused with whales (they can measure up to 6 meters for 3.5 tonnes anyway!), they are the 2nd largest dolphin in the world after the orca. Orcs can also pass through the Gouf, it's "gold" for the Cetacea apex team haha. You can also see porpoise and Risso's dolphin. There are already 7 species of dolphins in the Gouf de Capbreton.
As for whales, we have sperm whales (the largest predator in the world), we saw them 3 times 3000 nautical miles (around 6km) from Capbreton. We have beaked whales, the largest free divers in the world (up to 2 hours of apnea), the Minke whale, the fin whale. And last year, we saw humpback whales! They are more often in very warm waters to reproduce and give birth, then they move to very cold waters to feed. The Bay of Biscay is on the route of their migration, it is rare to find them because they do not particularly stop on our coasts.
Apart from cetaceans, you can observe sunfish, swordfish, tuna, squids, large squid, and sharks: blueskin, mako sharks and hammerhead sharks.
We would like to highlight sharks because they are among the most fished species in the world, and they are essential to the balance of the ocean. Can we observe these animals all year round?
So yes, we can observe animals all year round but there will be more or less favorable conditions. In the middle of winter, it's a bit complicated to navigate the Gouf de Capbreton. The best time is from the end of March to October.
In one year, we had a lot of chances. We have made major discoveries like the white dolphin (the only one of this species which has this color in this area), it is a common dolphin which is piebald (it is not albino, it has a genetic anomaly which makes that part of its body will be white, and other parts will have the natural color), this is very rare. In general, individuals that are “weak” or threatening to the pod (like the white dolphin, which because of its color is too visible to other fish in the water and has a somewhat weaker immune system than the others) are chased away by the group. This has already been observed in seas like the Black Sea. They are generally in areas where they do not have predators, they do not have this environmental pressure which causes the rest of the group to chase this individual away at birth because it is too conspicuous, therefore, the fact that this animal being in good health in the Gouf area is a good sign. It also allows us to follow this individual's pod because its color allows us to identify it directly, it is a small lantern in the ocean.
We also found an all beige/brown pilot whale, they are supposed to be all black basically. It's even rarer, we have seen one or two individuals in the world who are all white, but never beige/brown. It's a genetic anomaly. Overall, he appears to be in very good health. This is unheard of globally. Gouf exclusive haha.
Find all the photos of these magnificent cetaceans on the Apex Cetacea Instagram !
Do you observe animals on every outing?
Practically, on almost sixty outings it happened 2/3 times that we did not come across any animals, not cetaceans at least, we were able to observe other animals!
How do you take samples for your research?
All the protocols we use on animals are non-invasive, we do not touch the animal, we do not hurt it and we do not bother it. Animals are neither tagged nor chipped, it is against our ethics.
How does a general public expedition take place?
So first of all there are no real criteria, you must have normal general health, we start expeditions from the age of 10 (possibility of having younger children if they are already used to water/ surfing etc…). It takes a good half day, we meet at the port around 8 a.m./8:30 a.m., we equip you. We can offer immersions but they are not systematic, we do not offer commercial swimming with dolphins. If the animals are curious, interactive and playful then we might be able to dive with a mask and snorkel and swim with them, observe them in immersion, that's the bonus of the day. We let the animals come to us. Our role is to read the behavior of the animals and then supervise the people who go into the water. Very often people come with us because they know that the launches are not systematic and that they are adapted to the animals.
We generally take 10 passengers + 2 crew members. We do expeditions from 6 passengers minimum and depending on the weather. The price is 190€ per person with equipment included (with a large part going to research).
To book an expedition, visit the Apex Cetacea website
What are the environmental issues?
In France, the big scourge is “Dolphin bycatch” (the unintentional capture of dolphins in fishing nets). It is estimated that up to 10,000 dolphins are killed in nets per year in French waters. By consuming fish caught by trawlers, we indirectly participate in dolphin bycatch. To preserve cetaceans, you have to choose the fish you eat. We can find a consumer guide which is very well done, produced by the Itsas Arima association. It shows what species of fish you can eat, what type of fishing to choose without participating in dolphin bycatch. For example, with a trawler, we only recover 40% of what we caught, the other 60% fish died for nothing. Theoretically, the best fishing in the world would be underwater harpoon fishing, you select the fish you want, the size and the species. Pole fishing is also one of the most sustainable. Logically, the price of fish increases if the type of fishing is less profitable, but isn't it more interesting to eat it less often but well caught and of better quality, without participating in dolphin bycatch?
90% of passengers who come to expeditions are unaware that industrial fishing kills so many species. The best way to preserve dolphins is to talk about them around you.
Environmentally, there is also the excessive presence of plastic in the oceans. Cetaceans are at the top of the food chain, so they will accumulate all the toxins from plastic. They are therefore very impacted by this pollution. A study was carried out on fish consumers, a French person eats the equivalent of a plastic credit card per week (i.e. 5 grams)!
A positive word for the end?
We see a lot of births, there is some very beautiful wildlife. We hope in the future to be able to give only positives. We saw it during confinement, when we give nature a little respite, it quickly regains its rights, and that’s encouraging! More and more people are sensitive and aware of this, which gives a lot of hope for the future!
Interview with Hugo Verlomme
Who are you ?
My name is Hugo Verlomme, passionate about the ocean and Hossegor since childhood, I have written more than 30 books on the ocean, I live in Capbreton, I practice bodysurfing and I became interested in the canyon since 2005. Since 2015 I have organized, with the town of Capbreton and the sponsorship of Ifremer, the Gouf Days which bring together researchers, scientists and other canyon enthusiasts. We have just released a novel, co-written with Valentine Karwoski, in which it is about the Gouf: “The Bitten Finger” (the name of a fishing spot in the canyon). I also wrote “The Trail of Water”, an autobiographical story where the Gouf is also present.
What is Gouf?
For a long time people believed that it was a fault, a pit, without really knowing what it was. However, without the canyon, Capbreton and Hossegor would not exist. The places where we live have a geological history before having a human history. There was a river, the Adour, which flowed into the canyon, and surely rivers. What makes this canyon unique is that it is connected to the coastline and is both long and deep at its end. You can swim from Capbreton or Hossegor beach and find yourself above the “head” of the canyon. These are the only rocks on the coast.
For a long time people believed that it was a fault, a pit, without really knowing what it was. However, without the canyon, Capbreton and Hossegor would not exist. The places where we live have a geological history before having a human history.
How was it created?
It's a whole process that takes place over millions and millions of years, through plate tectonics and changing sea levels, with this canyon located in the extension of the Pyrenean fault. 20,000 years ago, the sea level was 130 meters lower, so our ancestors could walk to the head of the Gouf!
Does the Gouf have an influence on the famous wave of the North of Hossegor?
Yes absolutely, the North is generated by certain reliefs of the head of the Gouf. Recently, we have been working on the bathymetry of this area. With the perspective of divers, like Nicolas Bidou from Aquanautes, and surfers who regularly practice the North, Alex and Guillaume Mangiarotti, we were able to determine by what mechanisms this mythical wave, one of the best known in France, is formed.
Last summer we launched a participatory toponymy competition with IFREMER (French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea) and SHOM (Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Navy) to name eight specific places in the Gouf. The place where the North is formed was therefore called La Rampe. What makes it special is that it is a “reef break”, a “reef wave” which always forms in the same place. It's a legendary wave in Europe since the 1960s and 70s, it attracts surfers from all over the world ready to surf the North.
In Portugal, the Nazaré wave (largest wave in the world) is formed thanks to the presence of a canyon similar to that of Capbreton, hence the twinning of the two towns since 2018. How deep is the Gouf?
It descends gently from the head of Gouf. 300 m from the coast of Capbreton, it is only a few dozen meters deep then, 300 km further, it reaches a maximum depth of 4,800 meters in the abyssal plain of the Bay of Biscay.
Why is Gouf so little known?
Before I took care of it, people knew the name, the word, but didn't always know what was behind it. It is not known because it is underwater, hidden by the surface. To make things known underwater requires a lot of imagination and a lot of effort to explain everything. Make the invisible visible. We only know 10% of the seabed.
Are there any myths, legends?
There are no legends yet because people didn't know about the canyon. Legends are being created now!
What are Gouf Days?
These are very dense days where lovers of the Gouf and the Ocean, researchers, scientists, sailors, fishermen, divers, surfers, artists, enthusiasts come together to celebrate this formidable geological heritage which is also a hotspot for marine biodiversity. The next Gouf-related event will take place on October 22, 2022 in Capbreton. The event is open to all and free, to follow on the City of Capbreton website .
You can find the latest book by Hugo Verlomme and Valentine Karwoski “The Bitten Finger” in bookstores or on the internet . After meeting Hugo Verlomme, we had the chance to discuss animal behaviorism, Clément Boustre, for Apex Cetacea .
What is Apex Cetacea?
It is a center dedicated to the observation and research of cetaceans, more particularly in the Gouf de Capbreton. We also offer expeditions open to the general public so that people can come with us to observe these animals, in an ethical and responsible manner. These expeditions help finance our studies. This also allows us to have an education and conservation focus to protect these animals. Everyone is a winner, people can have a great time, thanks to these expeditions, we can finance our studies, then thanks to these studies we can learn more about these animals and therefore protect them. The story began last year, in January 2021, in the middle of Covid.
Who is on the Apex Cetacea team?
There is a professional part and an associative part. Alexis, the "Main Skipper" and marine biologist. Ines, the research director. Romain alias Mowgli, diver and diver. Karine, intern in marine biology and me, animal behaviorism, manager of all research and director of Apex Cetacea.
What animals can be observed in the Gouf de Capbreton?
There are many species here. We see a lot of Delphinidae (large family of dolphins). We are going to have the bottlenose dolphin (Flipper the dolphin 🐬), they are there all year round. The closer the summer period approaches, the closer they come to the coast. We will also have the common dolphin, in the summer there are huge pods (pods: group of dolphins), we can observe pods of 100, 200, 300 dolphins at the same time. There are also Stenella, the white and blue dolphin. Pilot whales are the large black dolphins that are often confused with whales (they can measure up to 6 meters for 3.5 tonnes anyway!), they are the 2nd largest dolphin in the world after the orca. Orcs can also pass through the Gouf, it's "gold" for the Cetacea apex team haha. You can also see porpoise and Risso's dolphin. There are already 7 species of dolphins in the Gouf de Capbreton.
As for whales, we have sperm whales (the largest predator in the world), we saw them 3 times 3000 nautical miles (around 6km) from Capbreton. We have beaked whales, the largest free divers in the world (up to 2 hours of apnea), the Minke whale, the fin whale. And last year, we saw humpback whales! They are more often in very warm waters to reproduce and give birth, then they move to very cold waters to feed. The Bay of Biscay is on the route of their migration, it is rare to find them because they do not particularly stop on our coasts.
Apart from cetaceans, you can observe sunfish, swordfish, tuna, squids, large squid, and sharks: blueskin, mako sharks and hammerhead sharks.
We would like to highlight sharks because they are among the most fished species in the world, and they are essential to the balance of the ocean. Can we observe these animals all year round?
So yes, we can observe animals all year round but there will be more or less favorable conditions. In the middle of winter, it's a bit complicated to navigate the Gouf de Capbreton. The best time is from the end of March to October.
In one year, we had a lot of chances. We have made major discoveries like the white dolphin (the only one of this species which has this color in this area), it is a common dolphin which is piebald (it is not albino, it has a genetic anomaly which makes that part of its body will be white, and other parts will have the natural color), this is very rare. In general, individuals that are “weak” or threatening to the pod (like the white dolphin, which because of its color is too visible to other fish in the water and has a somewhat weaker immune system than the others) are chased away by the group. This has already been observed in seas like the Black Sea. They are generally in areas where they do not have predators, they do not have this environmental pressure which causes the rest of the group to chase this individual away at birth because it is too conspicuous, therefore, the fact that this animal being in good health in the Gouf area is a good sign. It also allows us to follow this individual's pod because its color allows us to identify it directly, it is a small lantern in the ocean.
We also found an all beige/brown pilot whale, they are supposed to be all black basically. It's even rarer, we have seen one or two individuals in the world who are all white, but never beige/brown. It's a genetic anomaly. Overall, he appears to be in very good health. This is unheard of globally. Gouf exclusive haha.
Find all the photos of these magnificent cetaceans on the Apex Cetacea Instagram !
We also found an all beige/brown pilot whale, they are supposed to be all black basically. It's even rarer, we have seen one or two individuals in the world who are all white, but never beige/brown. It's a genetic anomaly. Overall, he appears to be in very good health. This is unheard of globally. Gouf exclusive haha.
Do you observe animals on every outing?
Practically, on almost sixty outings it happened 2/3 times that we did not come across any animals, not cetaceans at least, we were able to observe other animals!
How do you take samples for your research?
All the protocols we use on animals are non-invasive, we do not touch the animal, we do not hurt it and we do not bother it. Animals are neither tagged nor chipped, it is against our ethics.
How does a general public expedition take place?
So first of all there are no real criteria, you must have normal general health, we start expeditions from the age of 10 (possibility of having younger children if they are already used to water/ surfing etc…). It takes a good half day, we meet at the port around 8 a.m./8:30 a.m., we equip you. We can offer immersions but they are not systematic, we do not offer commercial swimming with dolphins. If the animals are curious, interactive and playful then we might be able to dive with a mask and snorkel and swim with them, observe them in immersion, that's the bonus of the day. We let the animals come to us. Our role is to read the behavior of the animals and then supervise the people who go into the water. Very often people come with us because they know that the launches are not systematic and that they are adapted to the animals.
We generally take 10 passengers + 2 crew members. We do expeditions from 6 passengers minimum and depending on the weather. The price is 190€ per person with equipment included (with a large part going to research).
To book an expedition, visit the Apex Cetacea website
What are the environmental issues?
In France, the big scourge is “Dolphin bycatch” (the unintentional capture of dolphins in fishing nets). It is estimated that up to 10,000 dolphins are killed in nets per year in French waters. By consuming fish caught by trawlers, we indirectly participate in dolphin bycatch. To preserve cetaceans, you have to choose the fish you eat. We can find a consumer guide which is very well done, produced by the Itsas Arima association. It shows what species of fish you can eat, what type of fishing to choose without participating in dolphin bycatch. For example, with a trawler, we only recover 40% of what we caught, the other 60% fish died for nothing. Theoretically, the best fishing in the world would be underwater harpoon fishing, you select the fish you want, the size and the species. Pole fishing is also one of the most sustainable. Logically, the price of fish increases if the type of fishing is less profitable, but isn't it more interesting to eat it less often but well caught and of better quality, without participating in dolphin bycatch?
90% of passengers who come to expeditions are unaware that industrial fishing kills so many species. The best way to preserve dolphins is to talk about them around you.
Environmentally, there is also the excessive presence of plastic in the oceans. Cetaceans are at the top of the food chain, so they will accumulate all the toxins from plastic. They are therefore very impacted by this pollution. A study was carried out on fish consumers, a French person eats the equivalent of a plastic credit card per week (i.e. 5 grams)!
A positive word for the end?
We see a lot of births, there is some very beautiful wildlife. We hope in the future to be able to give only positives. We saw it during confinement, when we give nature a little respite, it quickly regains its rights, and that’s encouraging! More and more people are sensitive and aware of this, which gives a lot of hope for the future!
To preserve cetaceans, you have to choose the fish you eat. We can find a consumer guide which is very well done, produced by the Itsas Arima association.