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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.

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.

Check out some of the most amazing scenery in the south Pacific, truly a photographers paradise.

A little snippet of the amazing underwater encounters we have had this season in Tonga with the whales. very action packed, 2018 will be here before you know it, so check out the tour dates if you want to join us.

Some beautiful aerial footage of Tonga and the whales to entice those thinking of joining us next year. If you want to see this in 2018 join us for the chance to swim with the whales and see some amazing behaviour, not to mention stunning tropical islands.

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.

This week we are launching our new series of inspirational  photos of Tonga showcasing all that this beautiful South Pacific paradise has to offer.

At Swimming with Gentle Giants, we strive to offer the best service possible and we think this should extend to our website and your experience from the first contact with us. so please let us know what you think of the new site. If there is anything missing you would like to see don’t hesitate to let us know.

13 years in Tonga photographing the amazing Humpbacks and this was one of the best seasons yet. In August the water surprisingly cooler and there were a lot more whales closer inside the islands. On at least 3 occasions the whales were right insight the Harbour which happens rarely. Maybe once every 4-5 years. For anyone that has never visited the south Pacific, Tonga is one of those untouched places and still pristine in many respects, clear water, beautiful reefs, stunning caves and the added bonus of a multitude of friendly whales. This year we started the Tongan Fluke Collective, which encourages visiting photographers to donate Fluke shots to help ID the different individual whales that come to Tonga each year. You can find out more about the program here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tonganflukecollective – Anyway we will be running a number of Photographic tours in the next year or so to various destinations, so stay tuned.

We had this amazing moment with a new born mother and calf last year in Tonga that words cannot describe, this calf was less than a day old, no scratches, marks and still remnants of umbilical cord. it was such a special moment. It is one of thje images showcased at the Beneath the Sea awards this year.