This gallery is done with only snorkel gear as it’s forbidden to SCUBA dive in Tonga near Humpback whales. This mom was the biggest humpback we ever saw. She is accompanied by her several week old calf and a male “escort”. He’s interested, she didn’t seem to be. Mating frequently occurs in Humpbacks soon after a calf is born. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
Our first snorkeling encounter was off “Beach House” in the Vava’u group, an area known for Humpback whale experiences. Sometimes the whales seem indifferent, other times down right curious and yet other times, want privacy. This first group was mostly indifferent to our presence. We got no closer than about 100 feet in the water. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
This baby was seen later in the day and was quite curious about us. Though Mom is “right there”, it is thought that the babies with Mom’s blessing are mostly downright curious at what these small floating around little things (us) are in the water. No strobes are used in these photos as in Tonga, it is not allowed. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
It also seemed to me, that not only were the whales curious, but also trying to determine what “animals” (us) could be a potential threat. Baby Humpbacks are hunted by Killer Whales, Great White Sharks and some Tiger Sharks. The Orcas will go after whales as old as 6 months, the sharks seem to be after new borns. This “baby” is gaining hundreds of pounds a week and is about 12-15 feet long already. Most likely around 4-6 weeks old. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
Note the white coloration of the underside of babies tale. The Southern Group of Humpbacks have white undersides of their tales. The Northern Group’s tale undersides are black! This is a major way to determine where the animals are from though crossing the equator north and south doesn’t seem to occur. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
After we left the Vava’u Group, we headed for the Ha’api Group (Central Islands) of Tonga. Here, we did some encounters on our own, but primarily went with Ocean Adventures, Glenn Edny’s operation which was first class. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
This experience was done out of our dinghy. We would just drift up a 100+ yards from a resting Mom and Baby and waited to see if they were interested in us. If they hung around, which was most of the time, we’d slip into the water. Almost always the baby would then, under the watchful eye of Mom, come right up to us. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
This is an extremely wide angle lens and the baby here swam right up to me, perhaps only 5-10 feet away from my lens with that right fluke. If they hit you, you’d be the worse for it, so having to keep an eye out for all the whale parts was important. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
The behaviors were incredible to watch. Often a baby would just sit under Moms head for 5-15 minutes before having to come up for a breath of air. Then, just go right back and sit there watching us, watching them. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
The whales are only about 20-25 feet deep, just hanging out. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
Baby whales are like baby humans. They frolic and play, exploring their environment and bond with Mom. Out of frame is another male whale. It was unclear if he was an “escort” or perhaps a previous calf of this Mom. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
This is a common behavior amongst Humpbacks. They seem to like to slap flukes, tales, jump, spy hop and generally have fun. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
This became fairly classic behavior. Mom watching, Baby coming in for a look see. KIngdom of Tonga – South Pacific
The baby has some pretty long flukes. You can see the second male and Mom hanging around too. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
Typical of the relationship, Baby swims in concert with Mom. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
But curiosity is frequently the rule with these young calves and this one we observed on our “Oceans Adventure” day, was no exception. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
Our last goodbye. We get to the point where we tend to anthropomorphize the whales. We think of them as friends (very big friends!), but we always have to keep in mind they are big wild animals. We wish them well and hope we get another chance to swim with these gentle giants again. Kingdom of Tonga – South Pacific
