Glad we chose Tonga Blue Lagoon in the Vava'u group. Small locally owned family run resort with only 8 guests, 4 fales and 2 boats. AWESOME WHALE EXPERIENCE, AWESOME PEOPLE, AWESOME FOOD... 5 days of whale swim gave as a full cross section.. Heat runs with up to 12 whales pursuing a sole female, 6 then 4. Jackpot on our first day. Over the week.. males hanging motionless singing, breaching was hard to photograph it happens so quickly. Logging.. floating at the surface. Diving and resurfacing. Mother and calves of different sizes, sometimes with one or two male escorts. We like the Tonga licence system. Only 4 guest plus one guide in the water in a whale encounter at a time ... Not every whale is suitable to swim with. Sometimes the boats share a really great swim whale in half hour stints per boat. They help each other. Good for the whales and the guests.
Great info, the most accurate I've seen to what the reality is of whale tours in FP. The only thing I'll correct is that legal boat approach is 100m if it's just adults. If there's a calf involved, then legal boat approach is 300m. So yes, one must be in pretty good shape to "swim with whales" & even then, you might not get an interaction...bc wild animals gonna be wild animals haha!
Based on information by Mororea Moana Tours website, 2023 regulations state that "The boat cannot approach the whales closer than 100m (150m for mom and calf)" However, more importantly it states that "No whale activity (observations or swimming with) whales permitted until August 1st"
Hervey Bay Queensland and Exmouth Western Australia now run tours. Exmouth they are migrating - August / September... do often they are doing pick up and drop for swimmers. We have done sea lion swims on the Coral Coast Western Australia, Baird Bay on the Eyre Peninsula South Australia. Next March we will do sea lion & dolphin swims - Sorrento near Melbourne on the entrance Port Phillip Bay.
Humpbacks specifically, but I would assume it applies to all Marine Mammals. Of course you can, but it's not sanctioned by The Marine Mammal Commission or local governments. Most 3rd world countries don't have the resources to enforce Marine Mammal Laws.
@@dronedrifter2525 you can swim with Humpbacks in : Tonga, French Polynesia, La reunion, Australia and Dominican Republik. There might be more countrys like norway but these definelty allow it.
