Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Swimming with whales in Tonga! Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Tonga
powertower 03:26 UTC 02 May 2012 | Hello, weare going mid June to Tonga. I wonder if it is already possible to swim with whales at this time. Many thanks Michael |
finsnflukes 19:18 UTC 07 May 2012 | Hi Michael, mid June is usually too early for the whales. They generally arrive in Tonga end of June/beginning of July and even during that intial arrival period it can be difficult to swim with them as they are not as big in numbers as later on in the season. Last year, however, we were very lucky to get to swim with a whale in late June. I'd recommend you play it by ear once you arrive in Tonga and ask the operators if any whales have been sighted yet, but don't get your hopes too high. Safe travels and hope you will enjoy your trip! | 1
h2ooh 02:07 UTC 08 May 2012 | @finsnflukes What would be the latest date you would recommend for seeing the whales? | 2
powertower 06:39 UTC 09 May 2012 | Hi where would they be in June on which island? Thanks Michael | 3
finsnflukes 21:53 UTC 09 May 2012 | The whales that come to Tonga travel up from the South, so the Southern and middle Islands of Tonga (Tongatapu, Eua and maybe Ha'apai) may see them first. But again, June is not a safe bet. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you though :-) @H2ooh: You're pretty much on the safe side until middle of October. From then on it can get difficult again because the whales start leaving around that time. Again, every year can be slightly different and we've had years with great sightings and swims right to the beginning of November. It's always good to remember that this is a wildlife experience and the animals follow their natural instincts and urges and nothing can ever be guaranteed. | 4
adamski_15:22 UTC 13 Jun 2012 | after a quick search, every where appears to do 7 day expeditions that's way out of my price range, so can you reccomend any cheap alternatives - any tours that do 1 or 2 days? | 5
finsnflukes 18:21 UTC 13 Jun 2012 | If you would like to do only one or two days you may wish to consider booking your whale watching tours directly with your chosen service provider. With a direct booking whale watching will cost you between T$250 and $T350 per day. Remember to have a couple of days spare to allow for any bad weather that might be passing through. | 6