Welcome home

The MV Barfleur, a long-known ferry in Normandy is coming back To Normandy with a bottlenose dolphin at its bow.

Ball head

A seal few miles away from the French coast, playing "hide and seek" between the waves. Seals always win...

Habitats

[ ENG below ] Le littoral de Bretagne Nord, un paradis. Il suffit de prendre un peu d´altitude pour comprendre la richesse de cette côte. C´est l´habitat de milliers d´espèces d´invertébrés ainsi que de centaines d´espèces d´algues et de poissons. Les prédateurs supérieurs marins y font aussi quelques passages: les phoques évoluent dans ces eaux peu profondes pour se nourrir, se reposer et se reproduire. Il n´est pas rare d´y croiser des dauphins à seulement quelques dizaines de mètre du rivage. Cette côte est un vrai paradis naturel -- The coast of Northern Brittany, a paradise. With a view from a bit of altitude, one can understand the richness of the coastline. It is the habitat of thousands of invertebrate species as well for many hundreds species of algae and fish. Top marine predators also use the coastline: seals explore these shallow waters to feed, rest and breed. It is not unusual to sight dolphins passing only few dozen of meters away from the rocks. This coast is a true natural paradise.

Wild

Grands dauphins en Mer de la Manche. Les grands dauphins, comme la plupart des espèces de cétacés, ont besoin d´une structure sociale: ils survivent en groupe pour trouver leurs proies, se rassembler et se reproduire. Ils peuvent voyager des centaines de kilomètres par jour. Emprisonner des cétacés dans une piscine est un délire surplombé d´erreurs... Arrêtons les captures et essayons de redonner une vie à ceux emprisonnés. -- Bottlenose dolphins from the Channel Sea. Like many other cetacean species, the bottlenose dolphins need a social structure: they survive in pods to find their preys, to interact and to breed. They can travel hundreds of kilometres a day. Keeping cetaceans in a pool is a delirium. We have to stop capturing wild cetaceans and to work on offering a new life to those imprisoned.

Les Héaux

Lighthouse of the Héaux, Côtes-d´Armor (France). Mariners mainly know this massive lighthouse by its 57 meters or even its 15 seconds light signals used during the nights. This reef is few nautical miles away offshore the coast and are very much avoided by the mariners. When the tough weather coming from the North Sea or the Atlantic Ocean is entering the Channel Sea, the crews try to stay away from these sharp rocks. For us, it has always been more like our playground...

Flat

For few hours, the water in the normano-breton gulf is perfectly flat and is offering good conditions to capture this kind of memories. Here a bottlenose dolphun (Tursiops truncatus) is breaking the perfectly flat water surface. This adult belongs to the large coastal population living in the normano-breton gulf. About 600 dolphins are known to live in this area.

Where the land meets the ocean

End of the land in Normandy, the Raz Blanchard.

The next generation

Knowledge about bottlenose dolphins in the Channel Sea have been increasing during the last years, specially for the population living in the normano-breton gulf. This knowledge is needed to finally implement concrete measures to protect this unique population.

Gannets

Gannets are wonderful birds: when they are at land, travelling at sea or when they feed. Gannets dive underwater to catch fishes: they hit the water and swim chasing the targeted prey. There are very few breeding sites of northern gannet in the Channel Sea. This unique seabird species and their habitat need protection. Dredging activities may have an important impact on the french breeding sites.

Show is on

Special show of bottlenose dolphins in the Channel Sea, between UK and France.

The last puffins in Metropolitan France?

Far away from the populations with thousand of specimens in the North Sea, there are unfortunately very few puffins that are still coming to nest in France. Every year, less than 200 breeding pairs are gathering on few islands of an Archipelago called the National nature reserve of the Sept-Iles in Northern Britanny. To be able to sight few of these birds is always a great show that brings a certain hope. This wonderful species is listed as Critically Endangered on the French Red List of nesting birds in Metropolitan France. Hunting (now forbidden), pollution, change of environmental factors and the lack of preys are the main reasons. So we know who is the guilty one, as always...

Bubbles

This special moment...

Calm

End of the day, a perfect calm evening with bottlenose dolphins.

Grey seals

Grey seals having a rest... but the tide is coming up so soon it is time to go back in the water!

Old friend

A good old friend... I´ve met this one several times and hopefully the future will be positive for this coastal population! Bottlenose #dolphin in the Channel Sea, between England and France. 20 years ago, we did not know much about this population of resident bottlenose dolphins living along the coast of France. For the last years, our knowledge is growing up to protect them from different types of human activities. We hope for the best.

Playing with the Raz

The Raz Banchard between France (Normandy) and UK (Alderney) is the most powerful tidal current in Europe. Because of the strong currents and the weather, boaters are sometimes afraid of it. You have to choose the right time to go through it. In only few seconds, the landscape can change dramatically from a sunny sunset to a very cloudy scenery.

Almost at the "Raz"

Only few nautical miles away from the "Raz Blanchard", one of the most strongest tidal currents of Europe. It is probably a big food resource for these animals.

Perfect day

Bottlenose dolphins in good weather conditions, but it is not like this everyday for these dolphins. Strong winds are common in the area.

Look

Two bottlenose dolphins are strictly looking to the boat during a survey in the Channel Sea - France

Dolphins at home

Sharing these incredible moments at sea is something I love, and it´s even better and special when it´s with my parents (they have the same motivation than I have ;)). After fishing for a short period, dorsal fins could be seen on the horizon. The monitoring of the bottlenose dolphins in the Channel Sea - which I have been involved for more than a decade - has always showed us that some resident groups were travelling through these waters. During the several tens of recreational trips at sea with my family, I could never stopped to scan the horizon hoping to catch one of this group. Last August, it finally happened: a group was less than 30 minutes of travel from our mooring. Thanks to the pictures of their dorsal fins, we now know that these dolphins are the resident ones from the Normano-Breton gulf population. An interesting sighting for the monitoring, knowledge and protection of this population.

52 meters

52 meters in the Raz Blanchard. La Hague Lighthouse in France, right at the entrance of the Raz Blanchard, one of the most powerful tidal current in the world.

Sunfish

Sunfish in the waters of Brittany, France

Youthfulness

A young bottlenose dolphin is breaking the perfectly flat water line, creating "bubbles" along its back.

Dolphins are in the Bay

Bottlenose dolphins with the Mont-Saint-Michel, France.