Tonga is 1 of 2 places on the planet you can actually swim with the whales. If a vessel finds itself within a 300m radius of a whale, the vessel must slow to 4 knots until 300m away. The whales come from antarctica toward the end of june. Swim with the whales in tonga at blue lagoon resort. Snorkeling with humpback whales in tonga scuba diver life. The whales are in tonga throughout july to the end of october. Our brand new yacht, reellife caters for groups between 4 and 12 guests.
The majority of operators are on the island of vava u which has an international airport and is the centre of whale watch tourism. When booking your whale watching and or swimming tours to use only licensed whale operators here enlisted. Regulations state that swimmers can come as close as 5m to whales, which who. 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. All vessels both private and commercial, underpower or undersail, operating within the vavau group during whale watching season must take care to remain outside a 300m radius of a sighted whale. 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. Our home is the isolated haapai island in the central archipelago of the kingdom of tonga. Join dive ninjas october 1424, 2020 for a very special expedition to swim with the humpback whales of vavau, tonga.
Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to visit. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity cf. Humpback whale splashing down while playing at the surface. Tonga is one of the few places in the world where swimming with whales is allowed. The weather is warm, but youll want to bring a wind jacket to keep you comfortable on the boat. The best places to swim with whale sharks lonely planet. The weather in new zealand is often best during the months of october march, so if you prefer the warmer kind of days then whale watching during the nz summer is a good bet. The whales arrive in tonga after a journey of over 6,000 kms. To their winter breeding grounds in tonga is one of the largest. We are very conveniently located in nukualofa, tongatapu the capital of the kingdom of tonga. Instead of thinking about best time in terms of what month to come, it is really best to. The time is now to book your once in a lifetime whale swim adventure. There are a small variety of vegetables grown on the island mostly root vegetables such as taro, tapioca, yams and sweet potatoes. The humpback whales of tonga every year, as the cooler winter months come to the south pacific.
Humpback whales migrate up from antarctica through to tonga to mate and give birth. We offer whale swims, island hopping, snorkeling and private boat charters. We are holding the dream of operating our 2020 tours in tonga, tahiti and norway. After a long journey north from the icy krillladen depths of antarctica, southern humpback whales take shelter in the tropical reefprotected waters of tonga to give birth to their young. How to swim with whales in tonga be my travel muse. 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. Disposal of rubbish into the sea, particularly plastics, can kill whales and other marine life through accidental. Swim with whales in tonga plan your next bucket list adventure. The complete guide to the humpback whales of tonga has all the information you need to plan that once in a lifetime trip to this really special place. Swim with whales in the wild and maybe look a humpback in the eye. Swimming with humpback whales is the biggest tourist drive to tonga. The whales usually start to show up in late july to early august and stay until midoctober.
Named a national geographic traveler tour of a lifetime in 2009. Whale watching and snorkeling we will spend 5 days whale watching and reef snorkeling on boat and shorebased outings. Whale dive tonga is a boutique whale swim charter company that specialises in guided swim packages with humpback whales from july through to october each year. Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins cetaceans in their natural habitat. Tonga paradise in the pacific majestic whale encounters. Tonga is one of 3 countries where you can swim with whales. Cease contact at any sign of whales, particularly mothers and calves, becoming distressed or alarmed.
Water temperature is around 24c 75 f to 26c 79f later in the season. Trips tend to book out months or even years in advance since permits are so limited. Tonga generally sees humpbacks arrive from antarctica in june. The arrival of the whales from july to october completes a remarkable cycle, as the new calves return to where they were conceived 11 months earlier. Tonga is one of the only places on earth where you are able to swim with humpback whales. A study prepared for international fund for animal welfare in 2009 estimated that million people went whale. Whaleswim adventures has been operating since 1999 guiding groups to swim with the humpback whales in vavau, tonga and now in moorea, tahiti since 2016. Oct 01, 2014 the 2014 humpback whale season in tonga was for me, in a word, incredible. Tonga is one of the few places in the world where you can still swim with the whales. The swimming season itself runs between early july and late octoberearly. New boat we now have a second boat that allows us to take out 8 guests per day for whale. We did 3 days of whale swims to ensure we got a good experience. Its also the dry season with less precipitation, less wind, and usually a calmer sea.
Blue lagoon resort will be closed in the off season from 111 to 0630. Best tour co is whaleswim adventures, they really know there stuff and care about the whales and their clients they include nights out on beautiful islands where the whales are and best deal pricewise too. A large population of humpback whales gathers around vavau islands in tonga between july and october. The tongan beach resort is in the enviable position of being able to offer unique whale watching experiences to our guests. The same predictable migration habits that once made the giants easy prey for whalers nowadays make them easy targets for whale watchers. As most of the whales are mothers with calves, our operators take great care not to intrude too heavily on these wild animals. Operating in tonga for more than 24 years, kiwi magic tonga offers spectacular smallgroup whale tours with keith, the owner and certified whale watching skipper.
Limited is a tonga based company with a certified whale watching and swimming license. When booking your whale watching and or swimming tours to. I recommend at least 2 days and spread the days out, if you can, in case you get bad weather or bad swells. This is a limited offer trip with only 8 spaces available in the best part of the whale season when the young calves are most playful. Every year, as the cooler winter months come to the south pacific, the waters of the island nation of tonga play host to hundreds of humpback whales. In tonga you can expect seasonal fruits during the whale season such as watermelon, pineapple, bananas, papaya and sometimes apples. Taufatahi charters is a local ecotourism business offering a chance to swim with humpback whales in the tongatapu waters. It is very likely to swim with the whales through these months. The annual migration of humpback whales from their summer feeding grounds in the antarctic. Whale season in vavau is midjuly through to midoctober. Between 6 august and 25 september, i spent a total of 33 days on the water. Choose from our 4 exciting whaleswim adventures destinations.
Whale watching whaleswim tours to swim with whales in tonga. There is also a number of operators offering different services. However, before you book your flights, its important to know that swimming with the whales is not a yearround experience. Holiday makers are not the only ones to return to tonga s shores on a regular basis. With its long season and numerous whales of different types and very close proximity to town it is a great place to see whales. Whales may leave an area permanently if continually disturbed. I did see whale swims advertised around town but i am not sure how available they are spur of the moment since i didnt inquire. We carry out whale swim ecotours in the pristine waters around vavau where the majestic humpback whales come every year to mate and calf. The best time to swim with humpback whales in tonga is any time during whale season otherwise, the whales are simply just not there. The high number of whales visiting tongan waters at this time of year means there. The company is named after their 10m 34ft boat called kiwi magic, which is plenty of room considering only four guests are allowed per whale swimming tour.
We provide professional tours with experienced guides for whale watching and swimming with the whales. 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. We pride ourselves in providing top class accommodation and food, attention to details that makes our guests experience unforgettable and we provide the best experience possible each day in. Nov 09, 2015 tonga is 1 of 2 places on the planet you can actually swim with the whales. Sep 25, 2018 swimming with humpback whales is the biggest tourist drive to tonga. Local family owned ecotourism operator offering a once in a lifetime chance to swim with humpback whales in the tongatapu waters. Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to. Tonga whale season runs between the months of june and october with august and september being some of the best months.
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. Vavau, in our opinion, is the best place in the world for inwater encounters with humpback whales. These months are the best time for whale watching as well as the unique opportunity to swim with a humpback mother and her calf. The tongan humpback whale migration begins when winter descends on the antarctic and by may, as the average daytime temperature falls to around 20 deg. I went with dance with whales, however that trip is only about whale swimming and we did it 67 of the days i was there, all day. For other holiday adventures during this time check out wild tales. During these months we most commonly have the opportunity to view pods of orca as they pass by, usually in pods of between 612 individuals 2 or 3 times a month. As well as whale watching and swimming, diving and snorkeling tours to the outer islands and reefs, we also offer 1day cave dive trips to eua island and game fishing charters. Without any major predators around, the calfs have a chance to grow before making the long swim back to antarctica. The humpback whale one of the largest creatures on the planet. I have been 3 times now at different times during the season. The majority of operators are on the island of vavau which has an international airport and is the centre of whale watch tourism. Fly to vavau, tonga crossing the international date line, transfer to hotel.
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