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. Cartoon hd does not store any streaming content on its server. Tonga consists of 176 islands of which only approx. We encourage you to book early for the 2019 whale watchswim season. Oct 01, 2014 the 2014 humpback whale season in tonga was for me, in a word, incredible.
The best time to swim with the humpback whales in tonga. For more comfort, allinclusive deep blue utila offers dedicated whale shark trips in season. During these two months, you can expect around eight inches of r. The whale season runs from mid june through to mid october, with the peak season being august and september.
Just another day on tour having amazing encounters in tonga with. Tonga to limit number of tourists swimming with whales each year. Tonga whale watch operators association home facebook. The best places to swim with whale sharks lonely planet.
Humpback whale season 2017 wrap up tony wu underwater. Whale watching in tonga is one of the countrys main attractions. The main wet season falls between november and may, with the most rain falling in february and march. Keywords tourism, whalewatching, economic impacts, tonga, vavau. Fiftysix surveys took place during the 2016 and 2017 whale breeding seasons aboard dedicated research and tour vessels. All vessels both private and commercial, underpower or undersail, operating within the vavau group during whalewatching season must take care to remain outside a 300m radius of a sighted whale. I knew i had to do it again and this time you can come with me. Whales, whales, whales whale swim vavaumv ashlee g and.
Swimming with humpback whales is the biggest tourist drive to tonga. Swim with whales in the wild and maybe look a humpback in the eye. During the whale season, the water temperature is around 25c and a short spring suit or thermal rash vest usually suffice. Celebrations have soured in tonga after the national government cuts back the number of companies allowed to operate whale watching tours. Moderate, fickle winds shifting directions on a regular basis. The whale watching tours take place in the open water. Vavau is the third most northern group of islands in the kingdom of tonga, and hosts 42 limestone islands filled with marine life, snorkel sites, white sandy beaches and is home to the south.
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. Swim with whales, tonga diving, swimming with whales in tonga. Vavau, in our opinion, is the best place in the world for inwater encounters with humpback whales. Im extremely excited to offer this unique and awesome adventure during peak humpback whale season in tonga. Celebrations have soured in tonga after the national. 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. I could see them here from the islands most days during the season, but in. I recommend at least 2 days and spread the days out, if you can, in case you get bad weather or bad swells. Majestic whale encounters is one of the most unique whale swim tour operators in the world. The whales arrive yearly to mate and calve in the warm waters around the vavau group. Our brand new yacht, reellife caters for groups between 4 and 12 guests.
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. 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. Ikumi, fifth ided calf and the star of the 2010 humpback whale season in tonga. Tongan tour operators lose whale swimming licences after. In july 2016 i traveled to tonga to swim with humpback whales. The whale watching season in tonga runs from late july to mid october. Tonga is divided into four main groupstongatapu in the south, haapai and vavau, then niuas in the extreme north.
I knew it would be interesting but i had no idea it would be so extraordinary and addicting. Tonga is one of only three few places in the world where you can join humpback whales in their waters just be respectful and keep your distance and enjoy the unique pleasure of swimming with a pod of these gentle giants. 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. The tonga whale watching operators association was formed in 2000 in order to establish a code a conduct to protect the whales. Jonah, a prophet of the living god is commanded to go preach to a very cruel city. 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. Humpback whales experiences in tonga we have years of experience in dive travel. The best time to swim with humpback whales in tonga is any time during whale season otherwise, the whales are simply just not there. 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. The vavau islands lay north of the main island of tonga a 55 minute flight away. 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. We are very conveniently located in nukualofa, tonga tapu the capital of the kingdom of tonga.
Welcome to the kingdom of tonga and the best place in the world to swim with humpback whales. Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to. Blue water explorer ltd is a tongan based company that specialise in guided swims with humpback whales from july through to october each year. 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 file is 37 pages long and about 12mb, incorporating 24 juvenile humpback whales that we were able to id during the 2010 season. Summary of humpback whale calf encounters in vavau tonga. Whale dive tonga, tonga whale swims, swim with whales whale. Journey out for the day into the pristine waters of tonga. The tongan beach resort is in the enviable position of being able to offer unique whale watching experiences to our guests. We are very conveniently located in nukualofa, tongatapu the capital of the kingdom of tonga. 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. Named a national geographic traveler tour of a lifetime in 2009. I have been 3 times now at different times during the season. While various dolphin species can also be observed during whale watching tours, commercial whale watching in tonga focuses almost exclusively on one.
Tonga has limited the number of whale watching and swimming licences it issues after a record number of applications. Oct 20, 20 swimming with whales in tonga in 20, crystal clear water, spectacular underwater caves, rich tropical reefs. We did 3 days of whale swims to ensure we got a good experience. Tonga whale season runs between the months of june and october with august and september being some of the best months.
Oct, 2017 anyway, the humpback whale season was a mixed one. Take the opportunity to swim with whales as well as many other marine species in and around coral reefs. Humpback whale splashing down while playing at the surface. Between 6 august and 25 september, i spent a total of 33 days on the water. However, before you book your flights, its important to know that swimming with the whales is not a yearround experience. Swim and dive with the planets most mysterious and magical marine giants in crystal clear water. On the other hand, conditions were more challenging overall than in recent memory, and human behaviour was, lets just say, all too often less than intelligent. All departures are guaranteed to run with a minimum of 2 travellers and a maximum of 8.
Neiafu is the capital of the vavau island group and is nestled next to the the natural deep water harbour the port of refuge. 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. 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. 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. Tonga swimming with humpback whales in tonga 20 youtube. 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. 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. I know that downloading and reading a pdf file is kind of a pain, but i think its worth investing a bit of time to do so. Whale watching is a relatively new industry to tonga and is raising awareness of whale conservation in a community that once used to hunt them. 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. As a tropical country, it experiences just two distinct seasons. For photographers and videographers we recommend a minimum of 3 days, which is why we offer package rates for multiple trips.
A large population of humpback whales gathers around vavau islands in tonga between july and october. Tongatapu is the largest island on which the capital city nukualofa is located. Sailing popao underwater ally adventures 18,614 views 8. Oct 25, 2016 shipwrecks of tonga freediving adventures on pangaimoto island underwater ally adventures ep. The weather is warm, but youll want to bring a wind jacket to keep you comfortable on the boat.
Concerned for the life of the whale, mark devised a tool to cut the lines off the whales tail. We provide professional tours with experienced guides for whale watching and swimming with the whales. 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. Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to visit. Taufatahi charters is a local ecotourism business offering a chance to swim with humpback whales in the tongatapu waters. Majestic whale encounters swim with whales tour and more. Its mainly the south pacific humpback whales that head to tonga, but you may also catch sight of killer whales. We run regular smallgroup departures on this tour starting on thursdays throughout the season. Limited is a tonga based company with a certified whale watching and swimming license. 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. 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. Tongas average annual daily temperature is a comfortable 24c. Tonga curtails licensing for whale watching tour operators rnz news. Effects of whalebased tourism in vavau, kingdom of tonga plos.
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