Whale Watch with... Whale Discoveries   Celebrate the annual return of the Humpback Whales from Antarctica to the Vava'u Archipelago, South Pacific. Join Whale Discoveries (www.whalediscoveries.com), Friendly Islands Kayak Company's sister company, aboard our 8.5 metre purpose-built vessel 'Tropic Bird' for a day of whale watching in the scenic Vava'u Islands.

TROPIC BIRD!

Whale watching is a rapidly growing industry worldwide with more than 50 countries watching whales at some level. Whales and dolphins use the coastlines of many South Pacific nations for feeding, breeding and migration. From June to October, Tonga's warm, sheltered waters are host to humpback whales. "False" killer whales, spinner and bottlenose dolphins are also present in Tongan waters. A relatively new industry in Tonga, whale watching is raising awareness of whale conservation in this ex-whaling community while, at the same time, bringing significant economic benefits to the local community. Today, all whales and dolphins are totally protected by the Tongan Fisheries (Conservation and Management) Regulations 1993.

Tonga has its own national whale watch guidelines, which at once ensure that the whales are not subjected to undue stress and meet visitors' expectations. The eight licensed commercial whale watch operators in Vava'u, including Friendly Islands Kayak Company, are obliged to conform to these guidelines.

Whale sightings in Vava'u are reliable since the shallow coastline that the whales frequent is accessible to boats. Moreover, the humpback whale is among the most interesting of whales to observe owing to its impressive acrobatic displays such as fluke, flipper and head slapping, lob tailing, spy hopping, and breaching. Provided that everyone observes the guidelines, whale watching can be a rewarding experience.

For more information regarding our whale watch tours, please visit the Whale Discoveries website.

Following are some aspects of the Humpback Whales that we will share with you during our tours:

• complex and co-operative feeding practices in their spring and summer feeding grounds of Antarctica
• migration routes of the South Pacific whales north to the tropical waters of Vava'u
• mating and calving in Tongan waters (June-October)
• vocalizations (whale songs)
• aerial displays such as breaching, lob tailing, spy hopping and pectoral slaps
• scientific research on Humpbacks
• the many ways in which we can promote the conservation of whales, dolphins, marine life and our oceans.

Click for larger view

Features of Tropic Bird Rigid inflatables are a very stable and seaworthy craft proven for coast guard rescue work and whale watching worldwide.

• an overhead canopy to protect you from the intense tropical sun.
• comfortable seating for up to 14 passengers and 2 crew.
• a boarding ladder for snorkelling excursions.
• a portable head (toilet).
• powered by twin 150 HP outboards to transport you to the whale watching grounds quickly and safely.
• surveyed by the NZ Marine Authorities as a commercial craft for carrying passengers .
• safety features including VHF, GPS, depth sounder, fire extinguisher, running spot lights, life jackets and first aid kit.
• crew is trained in boat safety and skippering to ensure your whale watching aboard Tropic Bird will be pleasant, safe and comfortable.

PHOTO © Andy Belcher - Legend Photography

Humpback Whales As a sneak preview, following are a few interesting facts about the Humpback Whales...

• The gestation period is 11-11.5 months
• Calves suckle their mother's milk for 5 to 10 months.
• Humpbacks are seasonal feeders during the summer months in Antarctica, consuming as much as 2500 kg of krill, plankton or small fish daily.
• They are co-operative feeders whereby a pod forms a bubble net of air from below to trap food on the surface.
• Mother Humpbacks lose as much as 25% of their body weight during migration to their calving grounds.
• Photos of the underside of Humpback whales' tails are used by scientists for research in identifying and tracking whales in our oceans and in studies of individual animals.
• Humpback Whale songs are cyclical at intervals between 5 and 35 minutes; it is thought that the songs change annually when pods interact with other pods on their migration route and in their feeding grounds.
• Humpbacks were targets (and still are in some oceans) in the old whaling days as they are slow swimmers and tend to follow coastlines on their migratory routes and in their feeding, mating and calving grounds.
• The U.S. Navy has been testing "Low-Frequency Active" sonar program (LFA - designed to detect enemy submarines by flooding vast expanses of the oceans with sound) secretly for years. Now, the Navy wants to deploy LFA across 80 percent of our planet's oceans. LFA noise is billions of times more intense than that known to disturb whale migration and communication. Whales and dolphins depend on their sensitive hearing for survival. Scientists fear that long-term exposure to LFA could push entire populations over the brink into extinction. It is believed that this may be one reason why whales become stranded.
• At the 53rd IWC (International Whaling Commission) meeting in London (July 2001) the proposal to establish a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary was rejected as it requires 75% vote majority. 20 countries voted in favour, 13 against and 4 abstained. The determining factor for this loss was Japan buying votes from six East Caribbean nations. The South Pacific Island nations has been denied the privilege of such a sanctuary largely as a result of vote buying by countries not within the sanctuary region.