"Galerna" is the word used to call sudden ocean storms in the Bay of Biscay and Cantabrian Sea. Waves pushed by strong NW winds could be well over 10 meter tall. Historically, the most destructive galerna ever recorded happened on April 20th 1878 killing more than 300 fishermen in the coasts of Cantabria and the Basque Country.
Nowadays, galerna has become a word of common use in northern Spain coastal regions to refer to any type of ocean storm whatever their origin.
Pictures in this gallery were taken in early January 2012 two days after an ocean storm. Some show 4 meter tall waves slamming against 35 meter tall cliffs. The water and foam sprayed from the blowholes seen in some images could reach a height of 40 meters.





January 2012