While various dolphin species can also be observed during whale watching tours, commercial whale watching in tonga focuses almost exclusively on one. During that time, i saw more activity than i can ever. Watching a 40ton humpback whale dancing and twirling in front of you, or simply floating next to one while it stares at you is incredible. Their soul purpose is to take our guests on a journey to swim with whales in tonga, tahiti or norway for the experience of a lifetime.
Every year they migrate through the warm tongan waters to mate and give birth. Water temperature is around 24c 75 f to 26c 79f later in the season. A large population of humpback whales gathers around vavau islands in tonga between july and october. It is very likely to swim with the whales through these months. Vavau islands, tonga, south pacific offer visitors activities such as sailing and sail charters, diving, deep sea fishing and whale watching.
Record humpback whale calf numbers in tonga tony wu. Welcome to the kingdom of tonga and the best place in the world to swim with humpback whales. Tonga has limited the number of whale watching and swimming licences it issues after a record number of applications. Watching a 40ton humpback whale dancing and twirling in front of you, or simply. Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to visit.
These months are the best time for whale watching as well as the unique opportunity to swim with a humpback mother and her calf. We are very conveniently located in nukualofa, tongatapu the capital of. The waters in front of our resort are on the seasonal migration path of the humpback whales and these magnificent mammals can often be seen with their. We will help you reserve your place with whale watching, lunch is also included. The waters of the island nation of tonga play host to hundreds of some of the largest creatures on the planet. Named a national geographic traveler tour of a lifetime in 2009. Orams centre for tourism research, massey university, albany, private bag 102 904, north shore msc, auckland, new zealand the vava u island group in the northern part of the kingdom of tonga in the south pacific has a growing reputation as a whalewatching destination. How to swim with whales in tonga be my travel muse.
The water can be cold and at times it rains, so a wetsuit is essential and a. Because tonga is one of the main breeding grounds of the south pacific humpback whales, we see an extensive range of behaviors that are focused around accomplishing one of two goals. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity cf. However, before you book your flights, its important to know that swimming with the whales is not a yearround experience. Keywords tourism, whale watching, economic impacts, tonga, vavau. Majestic whale encounters swim with whales tour and more. From meeting us at the airport, to the tongan beach resort, to our whale and dolphin interactions. Swim with whales in tonga plan your next bucket list. Nov, 2007 tonga is one of the few places in the world where you can swim with humpback whales. Tonga whale season runs between the months of june and october with august and september being some of the best months. By comparison, niue has a relatively small number of whale. The complete guide to the humpback whales of tonga will help you plan that once in a lifetime trip to see the southern hemisphere humpback whales in this idyllic location every year, as the cooler winter months come to the south pacific. Swimming with humpback whales is the biggest tourist drive to tonga. Although they are oceans apart, both the kingdom of tonga in the south pacific and the silver bank off the dominican republic offer intimate encounters with majestic humpback whales.
The whale watching tours take place in the open water. Kiwi magic is a licensed whale swim operator in vavau, kingdom of tonga, one of the only places in the world where you can swim with humpback whales. Swim and dive with the planets most mysterious and magical marine giants in crystal clear water. Watching whales come up to breach in our warm waters is a special kind of sight of see. Whale dive tonga, tonga whale swims, swim with whales. Download scientific diagram humpback whale breeding grounds new. Whale swimming is only available in the haapai island group.
Dr cara miller and her team are working on establishing a longterm dataset for monitoring trends in humpback whale migration through fijian waters. Let mv ashlee g and mv kalo take you on the experience of a lifetime, whale watchingswimming in the beautiful waters of the vavau islands, tonga. Humpback whale breeding grounds new caledonia, tonga, samoa. Tonga is one of the few places in the world where you can still swim with the whales. Incredible season 2011 was my tenth humpback whale season in tonga, my ninth consecutive one. Explorer is the first ever luxury overnight sailing catamaran registered in the kingdom of tonga, able to explore the entire island group from eua to vavau.
South pacific island accommodation, activities and travel. Every july to october, the whales arrive in our warm waters after completing their migration from antarctica to give birth to their calves. Humpback whale splashing down while playing at the surface. The whales visit tonga during a specific season between july and october and we run several group departures during this period. Hes handpicked a fabulous team of skippers and guides to help bring you the best whale encounters possible. Tonga paradise in the pacific majestic whale encounters. Swim with humpback whales or endless water sports through the islands of haapai. It is a very exclusive way to visit tonga and experience swimming with the whales. Widely recognised as the the best place in the world to swim with humpback whales, tonga has a consistently high number of sightings and a long season. My wife and i will be going to samoa and tonga next summer and we want to maximize our chances of swimming with the whales on tonga. Whales, whales, whales whale swim vavaumv ashlee g and. I could see them here from the islands most days during the season, but in.
As someone who spends roughly 300 days a year in or on the water, snorkeling with humpback whales in tonga is and always will be the best ocean experience of my life. The tour includes 3 whale swimming safaris, a local island tour, and time to relax and snorkel on some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Swim with whales in the wild and maybe look a humpback in the eye. Swimming with humpback whales in tonga scenic route sam. Tongas average annual daily temperature is a comfortable 24c. Journey out for the day into the pristine waters of tonga. We are very conveniently located in nukualofa, tonga tapu the capital of the kingdom of tonga. Vavau has most of the operators, but haapai is probably a safer bet. Neiafu is the capital of the vavau island group and is nestled next to the the natural deep water harbour the port of refuge.
This doesnt mean we can guarantee swimming, the decision to swim is always left up to the whale, but we believe with our patient approach we are often rewarded with amazing encounters like the one in the video above. As you can see from the graph below which i excerpted from my 2010 humpback whale calf count summary file, were on track to surpass the 2009 count of 31 mother calf pairs. Whale dive tonga, tonga whale swims, swim with whales whale. Whale watching and swimming with humpback whales the tongan beach resort is in the enviable position of being able to offer unique whale watching experiences to our guests. Whale discoveries swim with whales in the kingdom of tonga. The exotic location of the kingdom of tonga will offer snorkelers and divers the most exhilarating encounters of a life time with these most curious and captivating humpback whales. Oct 01, 2014 the 2014 humpback whale season in tonga was for me, in a word, incredible. Whale dive tonga is excited to offer a limited discount for the month of july, 2019. Does anyone know best time to swim with the whales. Concerned for the life of the whale, mark devised a tool to cut the lines off the whales tail.
Oct 20, 20 swimming with whales in tonga in 20, crystal clear water, spectacular underwater caves, rich tropical reefs. What its like to swim with humpback whales in vavau, tonga i was sitting on the back of the boat in all black wearing a full steamer wetsuit, fins, snorkel and mask. These whales come to the vavau island group each year from july to october. Snorkeling with humpback whales in tonga scuba diver life.
But i was in tonga, one of the few places in the world where your whale watching experience includes swimming right up alongside the whales. Our days on this palmfringed island follow the rhythm of the whales and the weather. The humpback whales megaptere novaengaliae belong to the baleen whale family, though while at first their size may appear intimidating, their diet consists of the small side of marine life, their teeth are actually plates of keratin, forming filters that. Most dive shops and whale tours will not provide personal equipment, which means youll need to bring your own wetsuit, flippers, mask and snorkel, and weight belt. The whale season runs from mid june through to mid october, with the peak season being august and september. Humpback whale calf fanima having fun swimming upsidedown. Majestic whale encounters is one of the most unique whale swim tour operators in the world.
Effects of whalebased tourism in vavau, kingdom of tonga plos. Tonga remains one of the only places in the world you can swim with whales, and i had booked my ticket after waiting excitedly for a year. Blue water explorer ltd is a tongan based company that specialise in guided swims with humpback whales from july through to october each year. Whale watch operators in tonga are aware of the delicate balance which must be maintained between viewing and harrassing the whales so they have developed a code of conduct to help insure this population of humpback whales continues to find a safe and peaceful haven in the kingdom of tonga. Being on the ocean 247 has definite advantages for the whale enthusiast some nights you can hear the whale song through your pillow. Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to. If youre searching for a pacific holiday with a difference, a whale watching adventure in tonga could be just the answer. The tongan tribe the humpback whales of tonga and why they migrate each year from their summer feeding grounds in the antarctic to to their winter breeding grounds around this pacific island nation.
Vavau is the best place in tonga for the most inwater encounters with humpback whales as the majority off the tongan humpback population, mate and give birth on this latitude. The whales have started to arrive and the 2019 whale season looks very promising. In tonga you can expect seasonal fruits during the whale season such as watermelon, pineapple, bananas, papaya and sometimes apples. The whales leave the open ocean to give birth to their calves in the warm and protected tranquil waters of vavau. As most of the whales are mothers with calves, our operators take great care not to intrude too heavily on these wild animals.
Tonga should allow to harvest ten whale per year at the same time will not affect whale watch industries which benefit 99% of foreigner only. Whale dive tonga blue water explorer posts facebook. There are a small variety of vegetables grown on the island mostly root vegetables such as taro, tapioca, yams and sweet potatoes. Dec 14, 2016 as undiscovered as tonga remains to most people, whale swimming is drawing a growing number of visitorsfrom a few hundred annually in the early 1990s to more than 3,000 a year in the past decade. Darren jew has been hosting whale swimming tours since 2001 and his experience as a photohost in tonga is unequaled. We did 3 days of whale swims to ensure we got a good experience. Whale watching tourism in the kingdom of tonga economists. Tonga swimming with humpback whales in tonga 20 youtube. The weather is warm, but youll want to bring a wind jacket to keep you comfortable on the boat.
Prices include all food and nonalcoholic drinks, all activities on board and ashore, use of our kayaksup and up to four scuba dives 7day voyage during whale season if conditions allow. Tonga is one of the few places in the world where it is possible to have the unique experience of swimming with humpback whales. Find out when is the whale season in tonga with this guide to the tonga whale season and when to see whales in tonga during which months. The waters in front of our resort are on the seasonal migration path of the humpback whales and these magnificent mammals can. We got incredibly lucky and managed to swim with whales and dolphins on the first day, the first mother and calf of the season. Spend seven full days snorkeling with humpback whale mothercalf pairs on their calving grounds in the polynesian country of tonga, and explore coral gardens off the coast of vavau. I recommend at least 2 days and spread the days out, if you can, in case you get bad weather or bad swells. Between 6 august and 25 september, i spent a total of 33 days on the water.
Fiftysix surveys took place during the 2016 and 2017 whale breeding seasons aboard dedicated research and tour vessels. If whale watching is a bucketlist essential for you, there are whalewatch and whaleswim operators in all of tongas island groups. Im extremely excited to offer this unique and awesome adventure during peak humpback whale season in tonga. Choose from our 4 exciting whaleswim adventures destinations. During the whale season, the water temperature is around 25c and a short spring suit or thermal rash vest usually suffice. Documenting the migration patterns of endangered oceania humpback whales is an important component to understanding the recovery, trend and status of this species within our waters. Whale watching in tonga whales are among the largest mammals on earth, and the warm pacific waters of tonga are one of only three places in the world where you can actually swim with these majestic creatures. Our marine staff has been out on the water in recent days and were pleasantly surprised with the early bird whales. Come to tonga and swim with these beautiful majestic mammals.
We encourage you to book early for the 2019 whale watchswim season. Special interest groups of any passion especially catered for. Tonga curtails licensing for whale watching tour operators rnz news. Due to the encounters being dependent on the whales behaviour, we recommend more than one day on the water. In this video you can see how mark and our whale swim guide, nolo saved the humpback whale. Whale information matafonua resort haapai tonga swim with whales. Live aboard charters on a beautiful yacht in tonga. For photographers and videographers we recommend a minimum of 3 days, which is why we offer package rates for multiple trips. We chose to visit in september because it was calf season.
Taufatahi charters is a local ecotourism business offering a chance to swim with humpback whales in the tongatapu waters. As undiscovered as tonga remains to most people, whale swimming is drawing a growing number of visitorsfrom a few hundred annually in the early. Our calf id count is proceeding at a record pace this season. The vavau islands lay north of the main island of tonga a 55 minute flight away. Keywords tourism, whalewatching, economic impacts, tonga, vavau. The whales are in tonga throughout july to the end of october. Celebrations have soured in tonga after the national government cuts back the number of companies allowed to operate whale watching tours. The best time to swim with humpback whales in tonga is any time during whale season otherwise, the whales are simply just not there. Vavau, in our opinion, is the best place in the world for inwater encounters with humpback whales.
Celebrations have soured in tonga after the national. In our humpback encounter trip in the beautiful tonga, you will have the chance to swim with this beautiful underwater creature. The waters in front of our resort are on the seasonal migration path of the humpback whales and these magnificent mammals can often be seen with their young from june to november. Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. The humpback whales megaptere novaengaliae belong to the baleen whale family, though while at first their size may appear intimidating, their diet consists of the small side of marine life, their teeth are actually plates of keratin, forming filters that separate water from food when feeding. Using data gathered from interviews with operators, along with the data provided by the tongan visitors bureau, there were an estimated 9,804 participants on whale watch tours in the 2006 season across the country, approximately 740 or 8% of which were tours undertaken outside of the main whale watching region of vavau.
Take the opportunity to swim with whales as well as many other marine species in and around coral reefs. The best places to swim with whale sharks lonely planet. We have travelled around the world to mexico, dominican republic, south africa, australia, portugal, french polynesia and the cook islands to try and swim with humpback whales, but consider vavau to be the very best place for the best upclose encounters. One of the largest and longest animal movements in the world. Tonga holiday villa is able to organise your reservation with one of tongas certified diving company at no extra cost when you stay with us. Whales in fiji, trends in humpback whale migration through. June through october whales in the wild have been taking people out to find, watch and swim the the humpback whales for 10 years now. Some famous operators are already fully booked for the next year season. Whale watching snorkeling kayaking a flight from tongatapu, tongas capital, brings us to an island set in the outer archipelago of tonga that sees few visitors. They also offer humpback swims in tonga at a reduced rate to the other most successful swim site. This showcases the best things to do on this small island nation.
When booking your whale watching and or swimming tours to use only licensed whale operators here enlisted. There was an unseasonably cold wind blowing in from what felt like every direction. Whale in tongan, translation, englishtongan dictionary. The 2014 humpback whale season in tonga was for me, in a word, incredible. Sea kayaking activities and tours are also available. Tongan tour operators lose whale swimming licences after. Humpback whales migrate from their feeding grounds in antarctica to the kingdom of tonga, where they stay from july through september to court, mate and calve in tongas relatively warm, tropical waters. Nov 05, 2016 as someone who spends roughly 300 days a year in or on the water, snorkeling with humpback whales in tonga is and always will be the best ocean experience of my life. A study prepared for international fund for animal welfare in 2009 estimated that million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Our tours are carried out under strict guidelines with fully qualified and certified personnel to ensure minimal impact on these beautiful mammals. Tonga to limit number of tourists swimming with whales each year. The tongan beach resort is in the enviable position of being able to offer unique whale watching experiences to our guests. Sightings cant be guaranteed and the swell can be pretty high. We found whaleswim adventures online, and werent sure what we were getting into.
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