The Whales of Tonga
Every year between June and November, Tongan waters play host to the magnificent humpback whales. After a long journey north from the icy krill-laden depths of Antarctica, Southern Humpback whales take shelter in the tropical reef-protected waters of Tonga to mate and give birth. The arrival of the whales from June to November completes a remarkable cycle, as the new calves return to where they were conceived 11 months earlier. Seen from a boat, the 40-ton whales combine grace and power, breaching out of the cobalt waters or effortlessly submerging with a final, languid flick of their tails flukes. Immersed with them in their own environment, their immense size is magnified, even a sleek two-meter calf tucked carefully beside its much larger mother. Get in the waters and swim with the majestic whales and witness the kind of indelible experience that makes visitors immediate advocates of the South Pacific’s only Kingdom.
By November, the young humpbacks’ development is well-advanced and the magnificent creatures depart the nurturing sanctuary of Tonga’s protected reefs for the southern migration back to Antarctica.
