Swimming with Humpback Whales (Day 6 of 6)

Last day...we saw whale spouts from the back side of the restaurant. I was excited to see whales before even stepping foot on the jetty.
I could feel the weight of the pressure of the last day of whale swimming as I walked down the pier to the boat.  I really wanted a good day to end the trip. After 2 days (Day 4 and Day 5) of limited whale time, I had high hopes and active butterflies about what the day would hold.

We left a bit late and another boat had "claimed" the whales we had seen at breakfast. We went over there anyway. The boat decided to "share" the whale with us. YEA! We helped spot the whales for them and after their swim, we would get a turn. First we had to hope that the whales wanted to swim with us.

The whales were swimming next to an island. They turned and swam closer and closer to the shore. Our boat stayed out in front while the other boat followed them closer and closer. Finally, they backed off and left some space for the whales to move away from land and back out to the water...straight to us. The group of humpbacks slowed down as they moved out into open water. Our partner boat had to try a couple of times to get both of their groups in the water. 
Then it was our turn.

We jumped in and saw nothing. We were able to hear their songs. They were audible about 2 meters down. Unfortunately, I am super buoyant and had a hard time staying down to listen to them for any length of time.

On our next try we did catch a glimpse of several whales in the group.
YEA!

Whale breaching - back splash!

The other boat took a turn swimming while we stayed on whale watch. The other boat disappeared when it was our turn again. The whales were not in the mood for a slow swim, but they were moving slowly enough to stick with us. They decided to have a little fun and began to tail slap, fin slap,  spy hop (where they bob their heads straight up and down in the water...almost like they are looking for something or checking to see what the things up above the water are up to), and breach. I loved seeing the breaches when they turned and landed on their backs with their pectoral fins splayed out in front of them... or when they twist in the air and their pectoral fins wrap around their bodies.  It was so much fun!!

There were several males swimming with the mom and calf. They seemed like they were having a great time with each of them taking turns doing acrobatics.

About 15 meters off the side of the boat, the huge female humpback whale thrust herself almost all of the way out of the water straight up. The breach was fantastic. She was suspended in the air for a couple of seconds and then turned slightly and crashed down into the water with a splash.

I was excited about getting back in the water but was not sure if it would work since the whales were so energetic. Sam, our whale guide, jumped in the water to see if they would be receptive to us joining them in the water. I waited with eager anticipation.
I was really surprised when we were given the signal to come swim. :)

I plunged into the water at his signal and gently wondered over to the mom and calf.  The mother was very large. Her belly was white and it had quite a bit of texture to it with knobs and bumps. Her baby was decent size for a calf...either born early in the season or probably last year's calf that was born later. He swam under mom and looked at us. When we did not move closer and scare him he decided to show off for us.

I watched as he prepared. I thought it was preparing to venture out from mom towards us. I was right and wrong. He was gearing up to head out from mom but not near us. I could almost see the determination on his face. With tremendous force and a huge flip of his tail, he moved out from under his mother.  I saw another one, two, three tail flaps and watched in awe as he thrust himself out of the water.
We were able to witness a whale breach while in the water next to him. I picked my head up above the surface to see the mass of his body hang in the air. Then PUSCH - - the water suddenly had trillions of tiny bubbles filling the area as the whale landed on the surface and interjected air into the water. I could not see anything of the little whale until a couple of seconds later. I saw him move his forceful tail flap, and he was out of the water again.
He breached 3 times as he progressively moved further away from us. His mom and her escorts slowly caught up with him. It was incredible. My mouth was gaping open...luckily, I had a snorkel in my mouth to prevent an influx of salty water. Sam said that seeing something like that was really rare...he sees that MAYBE once a season. What a treat!

Back in the water with the mom and baby who decided to have fun and be playful. I am out of words. Words can not express...but here are some pictures.

Swimming with Humpback Whales

We thanked the whales for sharing some of their day with us and for the amazing experience!! I sat on the bow of the boat on the way back in to lunch, my feet hanging over the edge and a huge smile stretched across my face. I saw a big cloud over Nuku Island and felt a couple of rain drops. We turned away. I thought we were going to a different island. Sadly, I was told that a big storm was rolling in and it was decided that we should head back to the island for safety.
Back on the island, I played on the beach and around in the tide pools. The crabs were wonderful. Ghost crabs (sand crabs or Ocypode) were peaking in and out of the sand holes they dig out to live.  They are so busy scavenging or digging. They are fun to watch sitting still on the beach.

Goby on Sand

Snail with Mucus Trail

I also spotted a little crab in the tide pool. He was just about the size of my thumb nail. The camouflage on these guys is amazing!

 I found a little goby that was also camouflaged extremely well. His markings blended so well with the sand that unless he moved, he looked like another grain of sand. He was only a couple of centimeters long.

I found a snail leaving its mucus trail. Snails travel on the layer of mucus and therefore leave a track along the path that they follow.

Brittle Star

There was also a brittle star sticking out from under the rock ledge. Like other echinoderms, including starfish, they have the 5 point radial symmetry. I like how delicate the legs of the brittle stars look.

Long black sea cucumber

Contrary to the echinoderm, the Holothuria leucospilota or long black sea cucumber has no symmetry. It is tubular and has little suction feet over its body for mobility. This sea cucumber can grow up to 1 meter long. It looks quite flimsy as it stretches to find organic mater to shove in its mouth. It was my favorite critter in the tide pools to watch.
Tide pools can be so full of life. These were alive with lots of interesting little animals.

The storm never hit. :( I guess I am glad we were safe but I was sad to end my Tonga whale watch and swim adventure on a short day. On the other hand...what an amazing dream I just lived!


Day 1, 2, 3...all the way to my last day...all with a special experience that I would not trade. Humpback whales are beautiful, majestic, intelligent animals that should be treasured and protected for generations to see. I can not imagine seeing one of these creatures and not falling in love.

YEA for HUMPBACK WHALES!!!!