THE ADVENTURE
Our whale swims are snorkelling adventures - there is no need to know SCUBA or freediving to have amazing encounters with the whales.
The Encounters
Every experience with a whale is different. Some interactions are fleeting, where enormous humpbacks ‘fly-by’, often coming close to get a good look at you in the water. Others can be extended, involving frolicking calves coming to play with you. And if you’re lucky, you might just experience the exhilaration of a heat-run – where half a dozen fully grown male whales pursue a female to win over mating rights.
Although it is winter in the South Pacific, the water remains a warm 24 degrees Celsius throughout the season.
Click here for 2024 whale swim tour dates.
You will be in nature, and so there can be no guarantees. That being said, we have been swimming with whales for over a decade in Tonga and have swum with whales on 95% of the days we have been out at sea. A five-day trip gives you a very high chance of a quality experience.
Patience with the sea is nearly always rewarded.
In this video, David Edgar (@edgar_pacific_photography), a regular of Tonga Whale Swim Adventures, captures his wife and friends experiencing a beautiful encounter with a humpback whale calf, mum and escort.
Find out more about our small group encounters here.
The “best” time to go to swim with whales?
Every year humpback whales travel to the warm waters of Tonga to mate, give birth and raise their young. The whales arrive in mid-June and stay until early November.
There really is no “best time” to swim with the whales, rather, each part of the season has its own character. July and August typically see the most boisterous and competitive mating behaviour. This is when we see the famous “heat runs” where sometimes up to a dozen males jostle each other for the affections of a female whale. There is nothing quite like the adrenaline rush from witnessing one of nature’s most epic courtship events.
September and October is about tender moments between mother humpbacks and their young calves. In these months many calves have started to mature and start engaging with the world. They are curious, excitable and love to explore the world around them – often approaching swimmers for a close-up look. These intimate close encounters are really quite special. You’ll never forget the first time you see a young humpback calf look you directly in the eye.
That being said, anything can happen when swimming with whales. We’ve seen curious calf behaviour right up early in the season, and we’ve seen epic heat runs take place in late October. But with small groups, and plenty of days on the water, we can guarantee your swim with us will be an unforgettable experience.