South Pacific Days 3 and 4

       Our next two days have been spent on the open water, masks, snorkels, and fins at the ready to observe the humpback whales that frequent the area.  Unlike the more touristy island of Vavua, the guides here are much more respectful of the whales, and there is much less competition.  So the boats never come closer than 150 feet from the whales, approaching from the side; and no more than four persons and a guide are allowed to approach a whale at any one time.  Much of the 7-hour boat trip is taken up by a search for females and their calves resting at the surface.

15-foot flipper slapping the water

          During the search, you might see whales slapping the water with their huge pectoral fins or tails; if you are really lucky, one of them might even put on a show for you, breaching near your boat.  Sometimes they even poke their heads out of the water to see what’s going on; their vision is just as good above the surface as it is below the surface.

        Whale breaching near our boat

          Whale calf observing the tourists

          Tourist preparing to enter the water

          These two days have been a fantastic experience.  Several times we were able to approach to within a few feet of mothers and the calves that were born recently in the area adjoining Foa Island.  It is always a single calf, about 15 feet long, with a mother often exceeding 50 feet.  Sometimes the calf has developed a sense of curiosity, coming up take a close look at the swimmers.

          Whale and snorkeler at the surface

          Snorkeling near a big one

          Calf and mother

          Years ago, someone observed that whales’ tails are like people’s faces—you can identify and therefore name each whale based on markings on the tails.  That has enabled the marine biologists to show that the same whales return to Foa each year, making the incredible 5,000-kilometer trip from Antarctica without eating, and arriving in time to give birth, and afterward to mate again if they are interested.  Some of the females do not mate every year, but during their 80-year lifespan they produce quite a number of calves.  No one can explain how they can navigate over the same course on the way north, or how they know to take an entirely different course back south to Antarctica.

                                          Calf near the surface

Calf coming at us

          What an amazing first two full days in Tonga it has been. 

Charlie and Tricia

© 2015