Tonga

[wudai 0]

I just returned from a 10-day trip to Vava'u, Tonga. Here's the link to my photos: www.flickr.com/wudai and trip report.

 

I travelled with a group of 15 from Hong Kong. We flew from Hong Kong to Sydney, and then from Sydney to Nuku'alofa and from Nuku'alofa to Vava'u.

 

The first day in Vava'u was pretty relaxing, we spent the day roaming around the island and sorting out our gear.

 

We then spent 6 days whale watching (snorkeling). We had 15 people in our group so they split us into 2 boats. The way it works is that you go out on the boat from 9am - 4:30pm and you basically have to be ready to dive in for a "whale swim" the whole day. On the first day we were spent some time getting used to slipping quietly in the water and climbing back in the boat. While we were snorkeling with the whales we heard them singing! For those of you who have not heard whales singing, they sound like pigs screaming or kids crying (LOUD). One the of the guides who had been running the whale watching operation for 5 years had only gone swimming with whales while they were singing once in 5 years! So on our first day we witnessed the incredible... and the trip became quite promising!!

 

We spent most of the second day watching the whales from our boat. We only went swimming with the whales a few times but I was glad we spent time a lot of time on the boat because it gave us a chance to figure out how to balance ourselves in a good position whilst holding onto our cameras (complete w/ telephoto lenses).

 

On the third day we spent most of the day swimming with two humpacks who were the same size. We were incredibly lucky that they didn't swim away (even after we left to give the other boat a chance to swim with them).

 

The fourth day was the best day out of the whole trip. We must have gone into the water for 6 - 7 swims!! We saw whales breaching, tails twisting and turning... the seas were super calm and it seemed there were so many whales in the seas we couldn't pick which one to swim with! For some reason I had been unlucky the whole day and didn't catch a photo of a whale breaching. To make it an absolutely great day I finally took a photo of a whale breaching just before the last whale swim.

 

The fifth day was pretty choppy, the winds had picked up overnight and the seas were rough. We did, however, manage to do a few swims.

 

On the final (6th) day the winds had died down but it was slightly choppy. I had been wearing a 1mm wetsuit for the past 5 days and because the water temperature was a lot colder the day before I decided to put on my 3mm wetsuit. We finished the day with several whale swims.

 

We spent Day 7 scuba diving, 2 day dives and 1 night dive. The winds were still there and it was mighty cold getting out of the water! We spent a dive in a series of caverns (pretty cool stuff).

 

We spent Day 8 on a kart safari and I must admit it was super super wet. It rained the whole day but now that I think about it was actually more fun that way. Most of us drove on the off road splashing through muddy puddles and slippery roads. It was my first time but I think I'll go again.

 

On the last day we hired a car for an island tour and hiked up to Mount Talau (the highest point) to check the view.

 

I really enjoyed this trip but I think next time I'll go back during the peak season (August/September).

[Steve Williams 0]

Amazing trip Michelle, just to be in the water with them is wonderful. Congrats. Hard to pick a favorite.

 

Thanks for sharing,

Steve

[silvernt15 0]

Thanks so much for posting your report and photos. My husband and I will be going to Tonga the first week of October so hopefully the humpbacks will still be there. We have been planning this trip since Jan 08! Fabulous photos!

[james 0]

Those are some great photos and it must have been the experience of a lifetime. Thanks for posting.

 

Cheers

James