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Swimming with Humpback Whales in Tonga

08/30/2018 by Kristin Addis 3 Comments

Have you ever wondered how it feels to swim with humpback whales in their natural habitat? My recent freediving trip to Tonga helped me checked this off the bucket list. No words can explain the experience, but I am going to try anyway. #HumpbackWhales #Tonga #BucketListTravel
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“Kristin, this is the first sunrise on Earth,” Eliza said while she drove me from the airport to what would be one of my most life changing experiences thus far: Swimming with humpback whales.

The sun was gradually rising in Tonga, nestled up against the International Date Line. It was only day one and already the trip was off to an inspiring start.

The next day, seven of us headed out on a 29-foot speed boat off of the island of Vava’u, Tonga. We were one of only 10-15 boats out on the water that day, and each of the six days that we spent swimming with the whales.

Excitement bubbled in my chest as the boat captain announced it was time to get ready. I fastened the weight belt around my hips, pulled my mask on, and slipped into my long freediving fins. We’d spotted our first whale and it was time to swim into the blue.

Five of us, including the guide, slipped quietly into the water and kicked until we were right on top of a sight that would change my perception of being human – in the most humbling and beautiful way.

Two full grown whales appeared to dance below me, swirling and twirling while one’s belly faced up and the other rolled to the side. They swam in circles with each other, aware of our presence but with no qualms.

swimming with whales
My first whale swim! (This photo, and the next three, by Matt Reichel)

Awe filled my body and tears spilled out of my eyes and into my mask. It was mesmerizing. I wasn’t just admiring this animal from afar or from behind glass walls. I was there with it!

swimming with whales
Crying

As the week progressed I’d come to feel a kindred connection with these creatures. There were so many different kinds of whale interactions.

The mothers with calfs were the gentlest. We stuck together, remained at the surface, and didn’t move towards them. The mother would then feel comfortable enough to let the calf play and interact with us while she rested below. Though we never touched the whales, sometimes they’d come close and inspect us.

The first calf I encountered came close, made eye contact, and jumped around playing at the surface, swimming back to check us out then diving down to see Mom and coming back up again.

swimming with whales
Incredible to swim with these two!

Then there were the singers – male whales that sing while facing downwards, half asleep in a meditative state. We could free dive down to them, which intensified the vibrations of the songs in my chest. It felt profoundly spiritual, peaceful, and connected.

swimming with whales
Feeling the song (photo by Charyse Reinfelder)

The most exciting were the heat runs, led by a female in heat and involving several male whales all vying for a chance to be the last man standing, er swimming, to mate with her.

These were quick. We had to jump in the water at a moment’s notice and for those who knew how (and I did – I’d gotten certified two months prior for that specific purpose!), immediately free dive down into the action. As long as we observed and didn’t swim directly towards the whales, they were happy to just swim on by with far more important things to do.

swimming with whales
Some of the heat run action (photo by Karim Iliya)

My favorite was a heat run where dolphins got in on the action. Not only did I swim with several whales, but four dolphins as well. My proverbial cup was overflowing with joy that day. I had no question in my mind about it – there was nowhere better to be.

swimming with whales
Diving deep (This photo and the next by Matt Reichel)

The grand finale was a swim with what we lovingly call a ‘crazy whale’ which is a playful adult who spins and swims and even tries to pick you up with its fin.

I think we probably seem like incredibly slow, uncoordinated dolphins to them, because there was no question about it being personal when he’d pick someone to play with. He’d lock eyes with us, then head directly for one of us. It was slightly terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

I was struck by how gentle it was regardless. These whales in theory have the option to be destructive or to swim away, and yet they tend to play and interact. After hundreds of years of whaling in the past, I wouldn’t blame them for being mistrustful, and yet they didn’t just tolerate us, they often engaged ever so gently. It’s enough to make me tear up typing this now.

swimming with whales
Playfully rolling around

The trip finished with a beautiful swim in a crystal clear cave full of tiny, glittering fish.

swimming with whales
The cherry on top (photo by Karim Iliya)

I’m forever changed after this experience. I can’t think of another time when I interacted with something so purely that was so huge and majestic and yet so gentle with me, as though I was just a little puppy.

I’ve rarely felt so small with such a rush of adrenaline, and at the same time a feeling of wonder and calm. Mix that with the vibration of the humpback’s song and it’s an indescribable feeling. Truly, I’m at a loss for words.

I’m so grateful this kind of thing exists, though it is rare and limited. Tonga is one of the only countries in the world that allows swimming with humpbacks and even at that, permits are super limited. This is, of course, for the best. We have to preserve these gentle giants and respect them while admiring them.

Tonga, thanks for making this a possibility and sharing this amazing gift with the rest of the world. I’ll be back for sure.

Finally checked "swimming with humpback whales" off my adventurous travel bucket list! This post is full of photos and my attempt to describe my experience swimming with the humpback whales in Tonga #HumpbackWhales #Tonga #Freediving
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About Kristin Addis

Kristin Addis is the founder and CEO of Be My Travel Muse, a resource for female travelers all around the world since 2012. She's traveled solo to over 65 countries and has brought over 150 women on her all-female adventure tours from Botswana to the Alaskan tundra.

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Comments

  1. GG says

    08/30/2018 at 9:32 am

    Hey Kristin, this is so amazing. While every adventure you have has its own unique gifts and experiences, this definitely is hard to top. I had goosebumps when you mentioned how you were hearing the male’s song while hanging out with them in their home. The whole following them around in their natural state (in this case mating) and bonding with them, wow! I think it is incredible, kind, and smart of you to offer others to join you in this! What an incredible BMTM experience it would be. If anyone reading this can make it happen, take advantage of her offer! Talk about a unique and awe inspiring experience!
    I had a set of questions about this. I know you got your free diving certificate and clearly earned it by how well you handled the free diving after lots of practice. How tested were you in this experience? How long did you stay under (I don’t mean to the second, but like “a couple of minutes”? Or even more? How deep did you end up going (again I don’t mean to the nearest foot or meter, but like “100 feet” versus “200 feet”) . Did you free dive the cave too? I re-read your “Should You Learn to Freedive on Gili Air?” post to review and realize a lot of it is mental and working on equalization (ear pressure etc.) and urge to breath etc. Have you learned more tricks since then. I am curious because there would be no better way to experience whales or any underwater experience like this that free diving I think. Thanks for your thoughts!
    Hanging around the Date Line is too cool too! It would be neat to travel between Tonga and American Samoa (I almost got to do atmospheric research in this area, I got into the group a few years too late! The per diem was insane)

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      09/03/2018 at 12:02 pm

      I hadn’t practiced freediving since the certification. I definitely improved quite a bit on this trip! I probably managed to go 20 meters down and I have no idea how long I was down there for, but it helped a lot to have the whales as a distraction from the normal thoughts of ‘how long has it been? How deep am I going?’

      Reply
  2. Juan Ovalle says

    09/03/2018 at 1:43 pm

    I loved reading this! This sounds like such an amazing adventure

    Reply

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