My husband Paul Stone and I are the owners of Dive Vava'u in the Kingdom of Tonga, we have been here for 5 years and own a 5 Star resort dive centre. We are also a licenced whale operator, working on eco-tourism based excursions with the South Pacific Humpback Whales.
Paul is originally from North Carolina, he started in the dive industry with Olympus Diving, before moving overseas in 1994 to Cayman. Since then he has run liveaboard boats for Aggressor Fleet and Adventure H2O in Indonesia. Paul studied his degree in marine biology at East Carolina University.
Me, well I am Karen, I started in the dive industry in 1998 working my way around the world with both diving and whales. I worked in the Silverbanks in the Caribbean for nearly 2 years with the North Atlantic Humpback Whale.
My travels have taken me as far north as Norway, and around the Pacific. My passion for whales started when I was a young girl, and my life has been filled with so many enjoyable experiences. I am just completing my degree in Wildlife Management, and am heavily involved in conservation efforts in Vava'u and Tonga, through the new Environment NGO VEPA.
Both of us are also professional photographers and videographers. You can see our images here.
The ocean has been a huge part of our lives for as long as we can remember, and our love for the ocean and the protection of it will never dwindle.
We hope that we will be able to share this passion with you not only through our blog, but also through shared experiences.
Many thanks
Karen and Paul
Catch up on our stories from the whale watching grounds of Vava'u, Kingdom of Tonga, as well as news from around the world on Cetaceans, their environments and up to date conservation projects
