Whale Swim in Tonga

Hi All, I am planning to visit Vava'u to swim the humpback whales this year and would really appreciate some help with the following questions:

Is October an ok month to swim with mothers and calves?

How can i contact whale swim operators in Vava'u to check out their whale swim trips (as i prefer to book directly and not a package deal)

Can you suggest company names for above

Can you please recommend accommodation on Vava'u and places to eat

What is the price of a flight from Nuku'alofa to Vava'u, what is the name of the airline and do they fly daily

Is Pacific blue the only airline that flies from Sydney to Nuku'alofa

I know this is alot of questions but you help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks Sandy

October was an excellent month for us here in Ha'apai last year for mothers and calves. The babies are already a bit older and the mothers more confident with a boat around. However, they start to leave Tonga around middle of October from the North towards the South, so best thing to do is to contact the operator you wish to go out with (easiest by email) and ask them for their experiences regarding time of the year.

If you want to stay in Vava'u, then I recommend the Portwine Guesthouse, only a 2-minute walk from the center, run by a lovely Tongan-Australian family. It's nothing too flash, but very clean and homely. For food you should try out the Dancing Rooster, the Swiss Chef just has a fantastic menu.

Chathams Pacific flies daily (except Sundays) and costs around T$300 one way to Vava'u and T$150 to Ha'apai.

As far as I know there is also Virgin Blue, Air Pacific and maybe even Air New Zealand flying from Australia to Tonga.

Thanks flukesnfins for your help with my questions. After reading yours and the other posts about august/september being the best months for the humpies we booked our international flights today and will arrive on September 13 for three weeks and hope to come visit you while in the area. Is it possible to flying Nuku-Ha'apai-Vava'u-Nuku? Can u recommend accommodation in Nuku just for one night - dont need anything flash just clean and comfy. Thanks

Cool, for a night in Nuku we recommend Toni's Guesthouse or Sela's. That flight route is no problem. We look forward to meeting you soon. Happy travels.

Portwin is a good and quiet place to stay.
The host is Thai, who is a very nice man.
The room is clean and you can cook there. Highly recommend!
I stayed there for 2 nits.

Kirk