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If you’ve been following any Tonga-related social media accounts, you will have seen the excitement about the new snowy-white calf born this year.  After analysing the photos from various encounters, our marine biologist Alice Forrest has been able to confirm there were in fact two separate white calves!

Photos by: Alice Forrest (left), Tris Sheen, Adam McKnight (top right)

Alice, together with Tris Sheen from Whale Discoveries, analysed the fluke shots of both mothers as well as photos of both calves to confirm that they were separate individuals.

No white calves have previously been documented in Tonga (that we are aware of), so to encounter not one, but two this year, is extremely rare. It also shows the power of citizen science, and how much we can learn from a simple photo.

‘The Art of Capturing a Heat Run” has been selected as Highly Honored at the prestigious Natures Best, Windland Smith Rice International Awards 2018. This impressive display from multiple humpback whales in a competitive group, filmed from above and below the surface was a dynamic sequence to document. I jumped in the water over 20 times while being witness to some of the most powerful creatures in the animal world. truly an honour to be recognised at such a prestigious awards event.

One of my favourite times of year in Tonga is when Garrett and his family turn up for their annual pilgrimage to swim with the whales. I love the enthusiasm and connection they have with the whales. their latest v-blog really captures the essence of their last trip here with  us in Tonga. Can’t wait to see you guys again next season. I love this video!!

Looking towards 2020, we have just released our new dates for the upcoming 2020 season, if you missed out this year and are looking to book next year or the year after, here is what we have on offer:

Vava’u
Tour 1 – 13th -21st July (7 Days)
Tour 2 – 24th – 31st July (7 Days)
Tour 3 – 3rd -11th August (7 Days)
Tour 4 – 12th – 20th August (8 Days)
Tour 5 – 24th Aug -1st Sept (8 Days)
Tour 6 – 4th Sept – 13th Sept (7 Days)
Tour 7 – 12th – 22nd Sept (8 Days)
Tour 8 – 25th Sept – 3rd Oct (8 Days)
Tour 9 – 5th – 13th October (7 Days)
Tour 10 – 14th – 23rd October (8 Days)

Haapai
Tour 6 H – 1-Sep – 12-Sept (7 Days)
Tour 7H – 12th – 20th Sept (6 Days)
Tour 8H – 22nd – 30th Sept (7 Days)

Contact us for more details or to book your 2020 tours.

We experienced some unique behaviour with this female Humpback last season and I managed to capture an interesting perspective showing the enormous tail and body above and below the surface. This image was awarded at the Asferico International Nature awards in the underwater category in 2018. We can learn so much from documenting unique behaviour from these majestic mammals. check out some of the talented photographers and their inspiring works of nature at the Asferico awards.

As the season kicks off we are seeing some interesting behaviour from some young juvenile whales, this whale we had to nickname the crazy whale on account of it always making a B-line for us in the water. things can be unpredictable sometimes and we are dealing with wild animals with big bodies and big personalities. Lets hope the excitement continues this week.