Whale safari in Tonga

Hi,

I am in touch with the Nai´a guys to redeem a prize this summer. My idea was combining a one week charter in Fiji with one week extension to Tonga to see humpbacks, but they have told me they are not doing the whale safari this year due to problems with the local authorities. They also said they are unsure about whether next year will be able to restore the operation.

Does somebody know something about this?

Thank you.

Hi,

 

I am in touch with the Nai´a guys to redeem a prize this summer. My idea was combining a one week charter in Fiji with one week extension to Tonga to see humpbacks, but they have told me they are not doing the whale safari this year due to problems with the local authorities. They also said they are unsure about whether next year will be able to restore the operation.

 

Does somebody know something about this?

 

Thank you.

All that I can add is that on the last day of our trip last year, they finally enforced a 200 year old rule that had been "overlooked" for years. No work on Sunday. We were not allowed to go out at all on that last day ... a very sad day. I am not sure what is going on, but I hoep they sort it out. I would do that trip again in a heart beat!

I did the opposite, a week in Tonga followed by a week in Fiji. The whale swims were the most amazing experiences of my life, but were shadowed by shark dives in Fiji. I am not sure how I would ever outdo having a 12 foot tiger slip up to me in a swam of fish, ever so slowly before it bumped my dome ... while I was looking through the viewfinder.

Have a blast. I hope it works out!

Hi,

 

I am in touch with the Nai´a guys to redeem a prize this summer. My idea was combining a one week charter in Fiji with one week extension to Tonga to see humpbacks, but they have told me they are not doing the whale safari this year due to problems with the local authorities. They also said they are unsure about whether next year will be able to restore the operation.

 

Does somebody know something about this?

 

Thank you.

If you would like to PM me your email address I can help you out with some answers.

Many thanks

Karen

wow thats a major bummer i was planning on doing a trip there this summer. is this a fact. is it no longer available. or are these just rumors?

They are rumors, the whale season here is running from July to October, there are operators in Vava'u, Ha'apai and Tongatapu.

Karen

They are rumors, the whale season here is running from July to October, there are operators in Vava'u, Ha'apai and Tongatapu.

 

Karen

ok so my trip this summer is still a go? sweet!!! where would you recomend going and when and with who. thanks karen any advice would be greatly appreciated. also how likely am i to have an encounter on a weeklong trip out of curiosity?

Here is some information for you on the areas where the operators are in.

Tongatapu is the main island, there is currently one operator who is there and is offering tours, however I am not sure whether he does just whale watching or the snorkeling with whales.

Ha'apai is the middle group of islands approx 60 miles North of Tongatapu, Chathams Pacific the domestic airline flies Monday to Saturday I believe once a day. They have a website for booking information. For whale trips in Ha'apai, there are three licenced operators, Ha'apai has low lying sandy atolls which can be subject to weather. During the time the whales are here is our winter, so we have the trade winds which blow an average of 20-22 kts per day, so the more sheltered water an island group offers you then the better the places to hide, which is one of the reasons that Vava'u has the most operators (13 licenced).

You can find out the operators on a couple of different site: http://tongaholiday.com and http://thekingdomoftonga.com. I would suggest writing to different operators.

By law here, operators may only put 4 people plus the guide in the water, there are some operators that are more aware about the whales behaviour, which in my consideration means that you will get better opportunities as the longer you take to get a whale relaxed, the more chance you have of long swims.

Swims are never guaranteed, and there are some days that the whales are traveling and concentrating on other behaviours, as well as obvious weather conditions.

There are also people that run photography trips and you can find out about those through other members here and what is going on.

Hope this helps in someway if I can give you anything more specific please let me know.

Many thanks

Karen

I recommend you check out Paul and Karen with http://www.divevavau.com/

...some of the best people around!!!!

Cheers!

I recommend you check out Paul and Karen with http://www.divevavau.com/

...some of the best people around!!!!

 

Cheers!

Totally agree with you! They are great!