404_FEB 24

SWIMMING with

GENTLE GIANTS…

IN VAVA’U, TONGA

By Nigel Marsh www.nigelmarshphotography.com

F reediving to 8m I was ready with my camera, staring into the blue. I looked left, then right, but there was no sign of the massive creatures I was hoping to see. Had they changed course and avoided us? After holding my breath for a minute, I needed to surface, but just as I was about to ascend a giant appeared silently beside me, it was an adult male humpback whale and it was looking right at me! Dying for a breath of air, I shot to the surface just as two larger whales and a calf glided below me. This was just another typical day of swimming with the gentle giants of Tonga. A close encounter with a curious calf.

While you can swim with humpback whales in Australia, Tonga has for a long time had a reputation as the best place in the world for this experience. The main

difference between the two destinations is that in Australia this is done with whales passing through on their migration, so most encounters are brief. However, the waters around Tonga are a playground for the whales to give birth and mate, so encounters are far longer, sometimes over one hour.

Humpback whale swims are conducted in several locations throughout Tonga, with the island group of Vava’u considered to be the best. Covering an area of 115 square kilometres, the 34 limestone islands of Vava’u have the most sheltered and clearest waters of Tonga, and the most whales. The area also has the most licensed whale swim operators, around twenty. For my recent trip I went with one of the most experienced operators, Swimming with Gentle Giants which is owned by award-winning Aussie photographer Scott Portelli.

A mother humpback playing at the surface.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #404 - February ‘24

www.divelog.net.au