The Road Less Traveled : Whales in the Wild

I have been fortunate enough to have experienced some incredible adventures over the past two years living in Tonga. Few of these experiences, however, if any, can rival the time I swam with the humpback whales last year. Last Saturday, after weeks of anticipation and heightened expectations, I again swam with the whales. I, of course, wondered; could I truly replicate one of the best days of my life? I soon found out that I could do even better, as my latest adventure was even more remarkable than the first, and I now suppose swimming with the whales has become a twice in a lifetime experience.

On the morning of September 6^th, three volunteers and I (Mandy, Joey, and Jeff) were joined by four tourists to embark on a swim with the whales. We met our Whales in the Wild boat at the main wharf at 7:30, eager for what we all expected to be an incredible day, and quickly made our way out of the protected harbor of Vava’u, thanks to the boat’s massive engine.

With speed I had yet to experience on a boat in Tonga, we zoomed past all of the islands, until we reached even the farthest uninhabited ones. Early on, I was relaxed, thinking that it would be some time before we saw our first whales. Last year, it took us four hours to find 2 whales – a mother and her calf that we would eventually swim with – and they were the only the whales we saw the entire day. Though I of course had no complaints at all and was so happy with our swim, even if it was only a few minutes long, I have heard in the time since that last year was a relatively poor season, with very few whales having arrived in Vava’u. This year, on the other hand, has apparently been an incredible season, one of the best in recent memory. No one knows why, as some people suggest the weather, the temperature of the water, or even it being an el Niño year. Regardless of the reason, I could not imagine how amazing a good year could be if last year’s “bad” season was so unbelievable for me.

So, within an hour of leaving the harbor, we found three whales, a mother and her calf being escorted by a male. As only four people can swim in the water with the whales at one time, the tourists graciously allowed us to swim first, and we quickly prepared our masks and fins in anticipation of entering the water. We followed the whales, at times as close as 15 yards away, but they were moving too fast for us to get in the water and swim. Still, the sight of these large, majestic animals gliding through the surface to catch a breath before again submerging was truly awe inspiring. To add to the ridiculousness of the scene, a pod of perhaps thirty bottlenose dolphins, which are known to socialize with humpbacks, then started swimming around the boat. So, with my right eye I could see dolphins only 5 feet away, and with my left see whales only a little further off in the distance.

As quickly as they appeared, the dolphins left us and we continued to follow the whales. After some time, our Tongan guide told us that we would be leaving these three whales as they were moving too quickly to swim with and find others. I was initially surprised by this, as I had already seen more whales than I did all of last year, but I trusted the guide and off we went.

Within 30 minutes he seemed prescient, as we came upon two males fighting over the attention of a female. In what can only be described as a gentle battle between two behemoths, we could see some slight stirring beneath the water and the relaxed flapping of fins on top of the surface. Unfortunately, after some time we again had to leave the whales, for they were similarly moving to quickly to offer a quality opportunity for a swim.

We reversed course and sped out south of all the islands, traveling farther way than I ever had before. Amazingly we could see whales in all directions. A sprout of water being blown in the air a few hundred yards to the right. To the left, the large blue backs of two whales gliding atop the waves. In front, a flick of a too big to believe flipper flashing through the air, indicating the dive of a massive humpback. Astoundingly, right behind us we saw two males breaching, jumping several times out of the water to land with a deafening splash. I couldn’t even fathom the power of such a creature that could launch such a large mass so high out of the water. Their raw power combined with their innate gentleness is truly remarkable.

Yet for all the whales that we saw, few according to our guide were good candidates for a swim. At one point our boat flew off to follow the path of 8 males moving somewhat less quickly in the water, in what seemingly appeared to be a game of follow the leader. Our guide, Sione, told us to get ready and that we would be in the water in any second, as we would get a chance to watch the whales pass us by within the ocean. Ready, I watched in awe as the males moved through the water so close to us, eager to join them. Every time we were about to hop into the water though, the whales would turn in a different direction. After some time, Sione decided that we again needed to find a different set of whales.

Now, I was getting nervous. The morning had been great as we had seen as many as 20 whales, but we had yet to get in the water for a swim. It was 1 pm and we had already been out on the water for over 5 hours, so I have to admit that we were all a little anxious. Sione, undeterred, started moving us past all of the islands, taking us all the way from the South to the North of the main island of Vava’u. Unknown to us, the company’s other boat had spotted some whales to swim with, and had radioed the information to Sione. While I was sitting and imagining what would happen if we didn’t get to swim, we were rushing to a very important date.

We arrived at the whales right as the other boat was finishing up. The conditions were perfect. A calf was swimming with it’s mother, while a huge male, recognizable by his large white belly as opposed to the all dark blue of the mother and calf, had graciously acquiesced to our desire to remain in one place. The whales seemed calm and somewhat acquainted with having people in the water around them. Without losing a second, the four of us jumped into ocean and instantly were within several feet of all three whales.

I can hardly describe my feelings. After thinking about this all year, I was suddenly staring directly at two enormous humpback whales and a third that was so huge it was hard to believe that it was only two months old. They are so gentle and graceful, playful yet still somehow a little intimidating due to their jaw dropping size and bulk. The whales were completely indifferent to our presence for all the care they showed. We were simply insignificant, quiet observers viewing them from the shadows.

The whales were so calm and slow moving that we were able to swim with them several times for as long as maybe 20 or 30 minutes. It was absolutely incredible. The male and mother can hold their breath for much longer than the calf, so they would remain 30 feet below us, while the calf would come to the surface every few minutes or so for a breath of air, emerging so near that I could see it in perfect clarity in the transparent waters of the South Pacific. In perfectly cute form, every time the calf submerged it would nestle itself under the neck of its mother, as if hanging on for the ride.

It was an otherworldly day. After patiently and not-so-patiently waiting to swim with the whales, in the end we were not disappointed. Being in the water with them for so long was an experience I will never forget. Thank you all for reading. I know this was a long post, but I felt the experience needed the justice that only this length could provide.

Please enjoy the photos taken by Jeff with his underwater camera.