The Whales of Tonga

Between the months of July and October, the waters of Tonga are home to the South Pacific Humpback Whale, Megaptera novaeangliae. We are based in Vava'u, a northern group of islands, that with over 35 stunning limestone islands, creates the haven for your whale tour.

Up until 1979, the Kingdom of Tonga was a hunting nation. The late King Tupou 4 placed a Royal Decree protecting all cetacean species within the waters of Tonga.  Humpback Whales were decimated in the Southern Ocean through international whaling, with estimates of nearly 3/4 of the population wiped out. The Kings insight into protecting these mammals has become the corner stone for a whale watching industry here.

Humpback whales are part of the Baleen or Balaenopteridae family, this means that they do not have teeth, instead they have plates on their upper jaw that is made of keratin. This creates a trap when they feed, engulfing the water and food inside their mouths. They then push the water out trapping the rich krill and small fish inside the baleen plates. They are also part of the sub order of Mysticeti.

Humpback whales reach up to 16m/52ft as adults and can weigh up to 40 tonnes. The calves when born are approx 4-5m/12-15ft in length, their dorsal fins are bent at birth and straighten up as they grow and get stronger. The mother will support the calf on her rostrum for its first initial breaths.

The whales come to the warm waters to breed and mate, swimming for months to reach their breeding grounds from the cold feeding grounds in the Antarctic. Whilst here, the adult whales and juveniles do not feed, they are a fasting species, meaning that they store all their food resources in the fatty layer below the skin called blubber, it is not uncommon to see the whales decrease in size towards the end of the season. The calves are feeding from their mothers, suckling a high fat content milk in order to reach a size where they can migrate to the feeding grounds. Mothers and calves will stay together for up to a year, with the calf feeding solely from its mother till about 6 months old, where it starts to independently feed as well as nursing.

During the season, we see many different behaviours, one of my favourites is the male singing that can be heard all over the grounds. The males sing either to attract a mate or to dominate an area.  The operatic chorus consists of high and low grunts, groans, clicks and whistles. Every year a part of the song changes. By the time the whales arrive on the breeding grounds, all the males are singing the same song. This just fascinates us.

Be sure to check in for all our information as the season progresses, we will be posting information, sightings, photos and more. Feel free to ask us any questions.....