Swimming with the Whales

h2ooh14:14 UTC17 Oct 2013

I posted two videos of swimming with the whales in Ha'apai this September. We also spent a week in Vava'u. I think between thew two spots, Ha'apai was the better choice for swimming with the Humpback Whales. All the whale sounds are real and recorded with the video.

One-minute video: http://youtu.be/4PBqAxkiJIU

Four-minute video: http://youtu.be/jcuSN0Ynsyg

watsoff17:31 UTC19 Oct 2013

Wow!

h2ooh14:00 UTC21 Oct 2013

Thanks for the reply Watsoff.... I'd recommend it for the bucket list of anyone that appreciates the grandeur of the large-scale end of mother nature's realm. They are big!

bthdth08:50 UTC22 Oct 2013

In your experience, how hit-and-miss were the opportunities? More or less guaranteed at right time of year, still iffy and need some luck, somewhere in between?

I was thinking .. if someone wanted to plan a trip around the activity, give themselves a week or two ..

h2ooh01:44 UTC23 Oct 2013

BthDth.... I went with Fins and Flukes on Lifuka Island, Ha'apai group.

I reserved four whale trips and made three of them. I caught a bad cold on the plane outbound that turned into bronchitis so I skipped one day. We saw and swam with whales every day I went out. Normally we would have whales in sight within 10-20 minutes of leaving the dock and in the water with them within an hour.

I spent 8 days in Ha'apai and then went to Vava'u for six days. I didn't take any whale trips while in Vava'u. Some people staying at Port Wine where we stayed made three or four trips and only saw whales two days. They were able to get close enough for pictures on just one trip. They said that the boat had to be two miles from shore before they could approach and swim with the whales. They also reported that boats were queued up to take turns with the whales. Something we did not experience in Ha'apai.

Ha'apai is great for diving and whales. If you're not doing that, there's not much to do. Vava'u is much more interesting and scenic in comparison.

I'm sure there are a lot of places in the Vava'u group that have excellent whale-swimming. Perhaps in some of the smaller islands that don't have the limitations and crowds that the main island has. The islands of Lafuka and Foa in Ha'apai have just three whale-trip operators.

If I went back for whale swimming, diving or snorkeling I'd go to Ha'apai.

bthdth06:09 UTC23 Oct 2013

OK. Thanks for the detailed info.

swimswam19:04 UTC15 Apr 2014

I'd like to know how much cost one day trip to snorkel with the whales ? What would be the cheapest ?

Swimming with the Whales Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Tonga
h2ooh14:14 UTC17 Oct 2013	I posted two videos of swimming with the whales in Ha'apai this September. We also spent a week in Vava'u. I think between thew two spots, Ha'apai was the better choice for swimming with the Humpback Whales. All the whale sounds are real and recorded with the video. One-minute video: http://youtu.be/4PBqAxkiJIU Four-minute video: http://youtu.be/jcuSN0Ynsyg
watsoff17:31 UTC19 Oct 2013	Wow!	1
h2ooh14:00 UTC21 Oct 2013	Thanks for the reply Watsoff.... I'd recommend it for the bucket list of anyone that appreciates the grandeur of the large-scale end of mother nature's realm. They are big!	2
bthdth08:50 UTC22 Oct 2013	In your experience, how hit-and-miss were the opportunities? More or less guaranteed at right time of year, still iffy and need some luck, somewhere in between? I was thinking .. if someone wanted to plan a trip around the activity, give themselves a week or two ..	3
h2ooh01:44 UTC23 Oct 2013	BthDth.... I went with Fins and Flukes on Lifuka Island, Ha'apai group. I reserved four whale trips and made three of them. I caught a bad cold on the plane outbound that turned into bronchitis so I skipped one day. We saw and swam with whales every day I went out. Normally we would have whales in sight within 10-20 minutes of leaving the dock and in the water with them within an hour. I spent 8 days in Ha'apai and then went to Vava'u for six days. I didn't take any whale trips while in Vava'u. Some people staying at Port Wine where we stayed made three or four trips and only saw whales two days. They were able to get close enough for pictures on just one trip. They said that the boat had to be two miles from shore before they could approach and swim with the whales. They also reported that boats were queued up to take turns with the whales. Something we did not experience in Ha'apai. Ha'apai is great for diving and whales. If you're not doing that, there's not much to do. Vava'u is much more interesting and scenic in comparison. I'm sure there are a lot of places in the Vava'u group that have excellent whale-swimming. Perhaps in some of the smaller islands that don't have the limitations and crowds that the main island has. The islands of Lafuka and Foa in Ha'apai have just three whale-trip operators. If I went back for whale swimming, diving or snorkeling I'd go to Ha'apai.	4
bthdth06:09 UTC23 Oct 2013	OK. Thanks for the detailed info.	5
swimswam19:04 UTC15 Apr 2014	I'd like to know how much cost one day trip to snorkel with the whales ? What would be the cheapest ?	6