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Madagascar - The Best of the Best, Tana to Masoala and Tsingy Program October 2-19 2011
Socorro Islands - Nautilus Explorer - Revillagigedo Archipelago; February 29 - March 9 2012
Indonesia - Dive Damai I - Triton Bay, Misool, Halmahera; April 24 - May 8 2012
Indonesia, North Papua - Dive Damai II - Sorong to Nabire; August 3-14 2012
Indonesia, North Papua - Dive Damai II - Nabire to Sorong; August 16-27 2012
Best of Tanzania Very Remote & Private, October 10-20 2012
Indonesia - Dive Damai II - Komodo; August 19-30 2013
Africa Discovery Group Trips

Humpback Whales and the Kingdom of Tonga

During the months of July to November the waters of Tonga are home to the South Pacific Humpback Whale. Since 1979 Humpback Whales have been protected in Tonga through a decree set by King Taufa’ahua Tupou IV, this was renewed in 2007 by HRH Princess Pilolevu. And she is currently the Royal Patron for Whales.

The Humpback Whale is part of the Baleen family, they do not have teeth but instead have plates of keratin that are used for filter feeding. Keratin is the same as our fingernails and hair. Humpback Whales can grow up to 16m in length and weigh up to 40 tonnes. They have long pectoral fins that measure up to 1/3 of the total body length. They are one of only two species of whale that sings. The South Pacific Humpback Whale is currently listed as Endangered under the IUCN Species list.

Here in Tonga since the 1990’s, whale watching began as a tourist attraction, what holds Tonga as special for whale watching in the world, is that licenced operators, under Marine Mammal guidelines are permitted to swim with the whales. Operators are only allowed to have 4 people in the water at once, this keeps groups small and is better for encounters with the whales. Tonga is one of only 3 places in the world where swimming is permitted, and is special because of all the protection the islands offer.

The female whales come to Tonga to give birth to their babies, the calves will stay with their mother for up to a year, and they have a very close bond together. The male whales are here to mate with single female whales, and will often be seen in large groups fighting for the female whale.

As licenced operators, understanding the whale behaviour is crucial, so that the whales are not harassed by the tourists. The boats are limited by speed and how to approach the whales.

All other vessels are permitted to be 300m away from the whales.

Currently the threats to Humpback Whales are
Hunting by Japan in the Antarctic
Overfishing and krill harvesting is taking away their food stocks
Global Warming is changing the oceans.

Humpback Whale Watching Trip Tonga Vava'u ~ August 19-28 2010