One day we dreamed of swimming with the whales …  After we did a scuba diving license and tasted a little bit of this endless underwater world, it was obvious that we would like to explore all the wonders that are accessible. So last year in Australia, we have tried to swim with them on the east coast, however, we were just before the season started and they were not too interested in encountering some tourists. There was basically no interaction. We felt a little bit disappointed, but we weren’t going to give up. We began to persistently research the subject and it led us to Dorota and Łukasz (Via Mundo), a couple of travelers, whose detailed blog post from the meeting with whales caused a lot of excitement for us!

So we have chosen the Kingdom of Tonga  A home of humpback whales !! This is where thousands of them come every year to give birth and raise their cubs and also to give birth to new little whales. We have made an outline of what and when would have to happen. We set the timeframe and found ourselves as hitchhikers on a sailing boat (one of the two) that have sailed from New Zealand to Tonga. 

We bravely endured all the hardships of sailing and also used the best of such an adventure. When we got there, it turned out that in this year, whales appear later in the area. So we had to wait a bit …🕛 At the beginning we were sad about it. We blamed ourselves a bit for something we couldn’t foresee or prevent but over time we realized that it was all for a good reason. Perhaps the whales wanted to teach us a lesson of patient

You must use a licensed guide to swim with the whales. There are many rules that must be followed in order not to disturb the peace of animals. We wanted first of all to choose an operator for whom the welfare of the whales is the most important. We chose a proven contact and we chose local guides from Taiana’s Resort on the island of Uoleva. And finally, the long-awaited day has come, which we will remember forever … The weather conditions were great and we saw dozens of whales. We witnessed a spectacular, acrobatic ‘show, during which humpback whales regularly jumped over the surface of the water for about 20 minutes right next to the boat After some time we found ourselves very close to the whale with the calf. Our guide decided that the animals remain calm, do not swim away and we can slowly, quietly slide into the water. And then it happened – we swam even closer and saw them very close 💙

It was something wonderful We wanted this moment to last as long as possible … The Whale was a very young mother and her calf was also relatively small (such a newborn). It is possible that they did not feel comfortable in our company or maybe something scared them because after a few minutes they calmly swam away a bit further.

Later, we jumped into the water two more times to see two adults whales. However, the interaction was also quite short. While in the water, we could hear a beautiful whale singing that will remain in our memory for a long time We knew that we were really lucky as we experienced so many on the first trip! Most of the people we talked to come here and buy packages for several days right away to increase the luck of seeing whales…and still, sometimes they end up disappointed. Nobody can guarantee anything at the end of the day as here whales are the decision-makers

We must mention that this is not a cheap attraction (from our budget perspective). We used a local company, which was the cheapest, but most of all had very good recommendations. The cost of such a 7-8 hour day on the boat is 250 TOP (about EUR 125 per seat). Elsewhere, prices ranged from 350-650 TOP

Although our hearts froze with the impression, we had a little bit different vision of our dream time with whales. We have imagined ourselves with them immersed in the depths of the sea. We testimonials of people who experienced even an hour-long session with humpback whales in complete peace and harmony. For months we visualized this scenario! Even though we got a lot and we were very grateful for it, we agreed that we should go again. As we have traveled such a long way and spent so much time and energy to be right here in the Ha’apai islands area which is one of the best places in the world to see these underwater giants, we would just be crazy if we missed one more attempt

Word has been said! And it was one of the best decisions during our trip A few days later, on August 5th, a boat with the same guide – Finau, arrives for us. We talked to her for a long time, we told her about our journey and what we have desired. Finau puts her hand on my shoulder and calmly says the magical words: ‘You’ll see them’.

 

The weather does not encourage us to spend the whole day on the water. It was cloudy, there were waves and it rained a bit. For a moment we were wondering if we should not cancel the trip? But we couldn’t! From the far distance, we saw two other boats looking for whales. We changed the direction, leaving them far behind. The focus on the boat was enormous! Everyone (we were together with our captain Peter and a couple of Danes) strain their eyes to spot a splash of water from the sea. This is how you look for whales (they must come to the surface from time to time to breathe).

Suddenly, far ahead, near to a small island, we have noticed a static mass of the gray body, followed by two fountains. One of them is large and the other is much smaller. We already knew that we have a mother and a baby in front of us. We decided to get closer, all the time observing the behavior of animals that hardly moved. They drifted on the surface of the water and did absolutely nothing about the fact that we were nearby. We turned off the boat’s engine and waited. Mom with the little one remained afloat !! After a few minutes, the guide gave us a signal that we can slowly and quietly jump into the water.

And what we have already seen in our dreams just came true . Almost an hour and a half (the maximum allowed limit) we snorkeled right next to a several-meter whale and her calf. The whale Mom rested, occasionally closed her big eyes. The young, however, did not want to rest at all. He was very curious about us! Swam, fliped and half-turned. His movements were clumsy and you could see that he was just learning his buoyancy. From time to time he flowed away a bit from its mother towards us, but then it came back quickly under his Mom’s jaw. Most of the time, the mother was tenderly touching the little one. She seemed to be relaxed but she also was vigilant all the time. Something beautiful and extraordinary!

We haven’t felt any fear although we were so close to the largest animals we have ever seen! We were aware of their abilities and we kept a safe distance. We didn’t want to learn a physical contact with the whale Mom’s fin

An hour and a half went by too fast … Finau gave us a sign to head back to the boat. We drifted away from the animals but still had them around. Soaked and a bit cold, but excited to the limit, we ate lunch. An hour has passed since we got out of the water. Then the question came… ‘Do you want to try to get into the water one more time?’ The answer was obvious. The majestic mammals were still next to us. Mom was resting and the young one was learning to hold his breath. Awesome!!! They were really not afraid of us and we didn’t bother them at all! If that were the case, they would have swum away already.

So we jumped again and for ANOTHER HOUR we enjoyed the encounter. It’s easy now. The battery in our gopro was dead, the emotions still enormous but we were calmer. We hold our hands with Maciek and admired these majestic whales from every angle. We were overwhelmed by a wave of love, excitement and respect. The little one even started to play with Maciek by interacting with him for a few minutes. He was copying Maciek’s movements! This experience was something that simply cannot be described in words as we felt like in a dream inside this endless blue ocean

For us that is an example of why we need to have a dream! Not only to dream about them but to desire, work along and make them come true! 

 
HERE IS A SHORT VIDEO THAT WE’VE MADE OUT OF THIS INCREDIBLE WHALE ENCOUNTERING EXPERIENCE!