Your Days on the Water with the Whales

All our tours are land-based, either at a hotel or resort on the main island of Vava'u - near the main town of Neiafu, or on one of the beautiful tropical islands situated up to 1hr.15min by boat from Neiafu.

There are 30 different islands in the Vava'u group (photo left) so our days are spent in and around these islands - a safe haven for the calving females. July - October is the mating season for these humpback whales who have swum 8,500 km's from the Antarctic, so there is plenty of activity to be witnessed!

The mornings are spent locating, watching and swimming with the whales. Some days we find them easily and other days it takes a little longer! Remember, they are 'in the wild' and not in an aquarium!

You will experience different whale encounters during your days on the water.
Your swims with a mother and calf are usually gentle and wondrous. If the calf is inquisitive, they love to come close and check us out and some 'show off' by somersaulting and spiraling around us. They seem happy to have something to play with!

Sometimes a mother and calf will be 'escorted' by a male humpback, waiting for his chance to get 'lucky"! There can also be a second male challenging the other male 'escort'. This encounter may not be as peaceful and gentle as when the mum and calf are on their own, however they are just as incredulous.

Then there is the young juveniles (one year olds) that return to Tonga and are 'dropped off' by their mothers, to begin life on their own. These encounters with an exuberant young whale can be fun and can certainly get your adrenalin pumping!

So can being in the water with a 'courting' couple! In this situation, we careful gauge whether they are aware of us being in the water - or not. If they are only focused on each other, we do not enter the water with them. This also applies to a 'heat-run'.

A 'heat-run' is a bunch of male humpbacks on the hunt for a female. She can be in the pod and each male fights for the closest position to the female or they could be on the look-out for one. In either case, its very exciting to watch from the boat.

We also see the lone males or females, who are usually on the move and not interested in us. Other behaviours you may witness from the boat are, spy-hopping, head-lunging, fluke-slapping, pec slapping and breaching.

We take a break for lunch, usually at a prime snorkeling spot like the Japanese Gardens, in a wondrous cave (Swallows or Mariners) or one of the beautiful uninhabited islands.

The afternoons are much like the mornings, locating the whales and have more interaction before heading back to your resort at around 4pm.

Snorkeling with the Humpback whales
On the first morning of your tour we anchor our boat in a calm area for the boat briefing and for you to get into the water and learn the 'WhaleSwim Shuffle'. We also take this opportunity to check your snorkeling gear to make sure it is comfortable.

The 'WhaleSwim Shuffle' is way of snorkeling with fins BELOW the surface of the water, the leg action is similar to riding a bike. This reduces the possibility of disturbing the whales.
If fins are flapping on the surface of the water, the noise and activity can spook the whales and they swim off - defeating the object of the exercise! For the same reason we advise wearing full foot fins as neoprene booties/diving fins are difficult to keep below the surface to do the 'WhaleSwim Shuffle'.

We also put you into groups of 4 and demonstrate 'how to be' around the whale, all ready for your in-the-water encounters for the remainder of your expedition.

Our first priority at all times is your safety and safety of the whales.

Touching the whales is NOT permitted on our expeditions - see Term & Conditions.
We have the deepest respect for these magnificent animals, we believe poking and prodding them is invasive and abusive. Just like a stranger touching you in the street - its unacceptable behaviour.

Humpback Whale Information and Research
Each season we collect research data for our WhaleQuest Foundation, universities and other conservation organisations around the world. We count numbers of whales, pods, groups etc and photograph and log 'fluke' prints (the under-side the the whales tail). Each fluke print is different - just like a human fingerprint.

If research data is a special interest to you, then we are happy for you to assist with the collection of this data during your expedition.
Click here for Tonga Humpback Whale Information

Tongan Feast, Traditional Dancing and a Kava Ceremony
Experiencing an evening with the Tongan people is truly touching. If you have the opportunity to do this, we highly recommend it!

The feast at Hinekaeua Beach also includes a wonderful craft fair where you can purchase basket ware, tap cloth, woven mats, jewelry and souvenirs, all made by the people selling them. We highly recommend that you buy directly from the makers -the quality is excellent plus, this is sometimes their only income. The other feast is at Barnacle beach on the island of Kapa and its also a great experience.

There is a traditional in Tonga that we whole heartedly support! During the traditional dancing, guests have the opportunity to contribute to the children's education, by tucking T$1 or T$2 notes into the straps of the dancers dress or put into a basket in front of the dancers. This is a very worthy cause as the government does not give free education and this money will help to buy books, pencils, pens etc for the children.

Some of our tours include a Tongan Feast, Traditional Dancing and a Kava Ceremony, however for the expeditions based out on Treasure Island and Blue lagoon, it is not logistically possible to get you there.

Stay extra days and experience the beauty of Vava'u in an Outrigger Canoe

Outriggers in Paradise!

Explore the stunning islands of the Kingdom of Tonga by Polynesian-style outrigger canoe.

Bruce and Julianne, (2 Aussies) started operating this outrigger canoe tours in 2007, which means they are still very fresh and are keen to show off this beautiful part of the world to new and returning visitors alike. There's always something different to see.

They have several tour choices - from 2 hours to 5 days and they will tailor a tour specially for a small group. Add one of to your WhaleSwim Adventure!

Go to their website at www.outriggersinparadise.com for information and contact details.

Your Leisure Days
Vava'u is fast becoming known as the adventure centre of the South Pacific.

Things to do:

Vava'u Adventures - Kart Safaris
Guided tours to stunning lookouts, beautiful beaches, remote villages and alongside tropical plantations. These tours are great fun - a great way to see the main island of Vava'u. One and two seater's available. A current drivers licence is necessary

Water Sports
Sailing dinghies, Wake boarding, knee-boarding, tubing, banana boat rides and more.
These activities are all available on the Port of Refuge, Vava'u's beautiful natural harbour. There is plenty of room and is calm on most days.

Scuba Diving - Dolphin Pacific Diving
We recommend the great crew at Dolphin for your diving trips. They are great fun and they even have Hobbs (their gorgeous sea-faring pooch) aboard on most dive trips! They supply a sausage sizzle lunch and snacks aboard also! All dive activities are guided by full qualified PADI Dive masters or Instructors. In addition to this they offer Diver training and Progression. They are Specialists in Professional and high quality courses at our in house training facility.
With up to date multi media facilities they offer
• Discover Scuba – for those that want to see what it’s all about.
• Open Water Scuba Diver – gaining the internationally recognised PADI qualification.
• Advanced Open Water PADI qualification.
• Rescue Diver and Dive Master training.
See right column for prices and booking contact details.

Sail on the Orion
The 11m trimarran Orion operates day charters out of Neiafu, Vava'u. They sail around the islands for the day, stopping off at great snorkeling reefs and pristine beaches. They pick up from Treasure island Resort and Hinekaeua beach. They also offer sailing lessons.

Contact for information on what else you can do in Vava'u!