Santander Bay
SANTA MARINA ISLAND
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Santa Marina Island, also known as Los Jorganes Island, is the largest island in Cantabria. It has an area of 18.5 hectares and is located near the coast of the municipality of Ribamontán al Mar, to which it belongs. It is located at one end of the SCI of the Dunas del Puntal and the estuary of the Rio Miera.
During the Middle Ages the name by which it was known was Isla de Don Ponce (possibly because of its owner). The name changed when, also in medieval times, a hermitage dedicated to Santa Marina was built on the island, of which only the remains remain.
Despite its appearance it is elongated, completely flat and covered with prairie,​ The rocks that surround it make it unapproachable.
With a very rich marine environment and a shallow depth of less than 6 m in some sections of its coast, they make it an area for diving, very similar to the Island of Mouro, which is also a neighbor due to its proximity. In addition, it is a place that attracts many surfers due to the good waves that tend to grow in its vicinity.
Its bottom is made of sand and stone, with longitudinal channels and parallel to the coast, allowing the proliferation of multicolored algae and that also offer It is home to an infinity of species, such as sea urchins, stars with different shapes, schools of jargos, julias, porredanos, bogas, mules and peas. In addition, cephalopods such as octopuses and cuttlefish can be observed in its holes in its rocks, while in the sandy bottoms we find sole, turbot and even some stingray.