About the Whales

The Humpback Whales travel from the Southern Ocean to the pristine waters ofVava’u every year, usually arriving in early July and leaving for the Southern Ocean again in late October.
When they arrive in Vava’u, they are here to mate and to give birth. If a female mates she will return the following year to give birth to her calf.  The calves are then fed by their mother through mammary glands for up to one year. When they are born, calves need to be taught to surface and breathe. They spend much of their time inTonga resting and feeding in preparation for their long journey back to Antarctica.
Protected from the ocean swells by inland waterways and sheltered reefs, the pristine waters of Vava’u with a normal visibility in excess of 30 meters allows for amazing experiences in one of the only places on earth where swimming with Humpback whales is allowed.
See mothers caring for their calves, teaching them to breathe and dive. When they are born, the calves are weak and cannot use their tails or flippers. Watch as the mother whales teach their calves to ride on their flippers up to the surface to breathe and down again. Humpback calves love to play, splashing and slapping the water to foam, then leaping in the air before flopping in the sea. Watch mother whales nursing their young as they roll on their sides so the baby can snuggle up to them and suckle milk. See huge male escorts, juveniles and experience a “heat run” where males compete for the female’s attention. Be part of this amazing chance to see nature in its own environment.
Many, who have had the opportunity of swimming or just seeing above water antics, are absolutely blown away and consider it a life changing experience.