Whale Watching in Vavau Tonga

Humpback whales in Tonga Islands

Humpback whales have visited Vava'u for millenia. They migrate from their summer feeding grounds in Antarctica to winter breeding and birthing grounds in Tonga's warm tropical waters. The whales start arriving in June, and most new calves are born between July and September. Boisterious courtship displays, male competition, and mothers caring for their calves make this an exciting time to be watching whales in Tonga. By October many of the new calves are old enough to travel, and by November, most of the whales have left the Tonga islands to begin their journey south to the nutrient-rich waters of Antarctica where the whales gorge themselves on krill. They do not feed on their winter breeding grounds and must subsist on fat reserves stored in their blubber through the season.

Protecting the Whales

Today, in most areas, humpback whales are protected but that has not always been the case. l9th Century whalers slaughtered the whales in great numbers in the Tonga islands, other South Pacific Islands and in the Antarctic. Over 200,000 Southern Hemisphere humpbacks were killed from l904 until l963, when Southern Hemisphere humpback whales were protected from commercial whaling. Tongan whaling ended in l978 when a moratorium was imposed by Royal decree. Since l99l, Tongan humpback whales have been studied and monitored by University of Auckland research teams. The researchers have identified and catalogued 397 individuals to date. But the legacy of whaling remains, two hundred years ago, an estimated 7,000 humpbacks visited Tonga's waters, but by the time whaling was ended there were as few as 15 mature breeding females arriving annually. Recovery is happening, but it is slow, the current population is estimated at between 250-700 individuals.