They can also arrange for whale watching and fishing trips upon request. There are few places left in the south pacific which return the visitor to a bygone era a time of ships under sail, pristine beaches, abundant marine life and traditional ways of living. Jul 26, 2017 there were some real highlights in the trip such as hearing the whales sing, following a pod and snorkelling in the swallows cave but be prepared for rude comments over the two way with a female from base camp such as when we asked for wet suits our size this is all i could. Diving vavau diving in vavau islands, tonga, south pacific. Here, is where you find vavau island which is a hot spot for humpback whale action. We went out with them for two consecutive days, and there were several things we reacted on. Backpackers vavau also offer water activities like snorkeling, diving, and island hopping.
Whales in the wild swimming with humpback whales in vava. Whaleswim adventures have been operating ecotours to swim with the humpback whales in vavau since 1999 and we offer a variety of 3. This is one of the few places in the world where you can actually get in the water and swim with whales in the wild. This is not your ordinary whale watching tour off your local coast, this is much more. After reading trip advisor we decided to go with whale watch vava u run by alan bowe, to swim with the whales. Join us on our exclusive 4 person whale swimming tours. View mother whales basking with their newborn calves it is not guaranteed because we are subject to the pattern of migratory whales, additionally this is the beginning of the season in vavau. This british family quit the rat race to live on a desert island 3 days away a family of five left their home comforts and settled on the tiny island of fofoa eight years ago. To those fortunate few who have discovered it, vavau is a polynesian heaven. Based at fangafoa marina just a five minute walk from the centre of neiafu town, beluga diving offers a range of exciting dive tours and padi dive courses, and now has a whale watch license. Swim with whales in the wild and maybe look a humpback in the eye. There were some real highlights in the trip such as hearing the whales sing, following a pod and snorkelling in the swallows cave but be prepared for rude comments over the two way with a female from base camp such as when we asked for wet suits our size this is all i could.
Such a place is vavau, an island group within the kingdom of tonga. The whale watching tours take place in the open water. Backpackers vavau supplies all your needs in paradise. Whale watch vavau neiafu 2020 all you need to know before. Effects of whalebased tourism in vavau, kingdom of tonga ncbi. Whale season in vavau is midjuly through to midoctober. Water temperature is around 24c 75 f to 26c 79f later in the season. The warm waters surrounding vavau make ideal calving and mating grounds for the magnificent humpback whale. After reading trip advisor we decided to go with whale watch vavau run by alan bowe, to swim with the whales. Watch for humpback whale spouts, spyhopping and breaching while enjoying an educational briefing from an informed local guide. Let mv ashlee g and mv kalo take you on the experience of a lifetime, whale watchingswimming in the beautiful waters of the vava u islands, tonga.
There are two caves here, the northern cave is fun to start in with a bonus secret cave to the left of the entrance that you swim down and up into a good introduction if you plan to do mariners cave later. Being the longest running whale watching company in vavau you should think that they were also the best, but we were very disappointed. Nukualofa, tonga matangi tonga, february 10, 2017 a large haul of illicit drugs seized in vavau from a yacht called jereve in 2012 was destroyed by authorities in australia, tongas police commissioner stephen caldwell confirmed today in response to allegations raised in parliament on monday, february 6. Vavau turning tonga into a yearround cruising destination the boatyard is a brand new yacht haulage and hard stand facility in vavau, the first in tonga, and has turned tonga into a safe yearround cruising destination. Let mv ashlee g and mv kalo take you on the experience of a lifetime, whale watchingswimming in the beautiful waters of the vavau islands, tonga. Vava u is the third most northern group of islands. Pat and keith mckee, expat new zealanders, with their vessel kiwi magic have been operating in the waters of vavau since 1991.
Swimming with whales vavau islands tonga best time to visit. We are glad we did, the day we went out it was a little rough and there werent many whales around, but allen found. Over the past couple of seasons, weve used gps to mark our calf encounters, and have demonstrated that humpback whale mother calf pairs make use of all the waters around vavau, including the inner waterways. When keith, the ownerskipper, first noticed humpback whales breaching and lazing in vavau waters, he decided to add whale watching to his license. Behavioural responses of humpback whales to vessel and swimming. Fiftysix surveys took place during the 2016 and 2017 whale breeding seasons aboard dedicated research and tour vessels. Backpackers vava u also offer water activities like snorkeling, diving, and island hopping.
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