Our Expedition

Who was on the expedition?

Sixteen volunteers from all over the world came to Tonga to help with this whale project. Many are photographers, some are retired, and a few are computer experts. All of us are scuba divers who love whales and want to help out. Most of us didn't know each other before we met in Tonga, but we've now become good friends.

How did you get to Tonga?

Because we all live far away, we had to fly a long way to get to Tonga. Most of us came from the United States, and flew through Hawaii and Fiji to get to Tonga. Other members of the team came from Australia and Italy. Many of us had to fly for two days or more to get all the way to Tonga. Some of the crew from the dive boat Nai'a met us at the airport in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga.

What is the Nai'a like?

The Nai'a is a beautiful boat that spends most of the year taking scuba divers around the Fiji islands. During the months of August and September, the Nai'a sails to Tonga to be there when the whales are having their babies.

The crew of the Nai'a took great care of us! Besides finding whales for us to watch, they also fed us, drove the boat, and kept everything running well. They made it very comfortable for us, even though we were very far from home.

How did you watch the whales?

Every day while we were in Tonga, the boat captain and crew would drive around looking for whales. Usually the first thing they would see is a spout in the distance, meaning that a whale had come to the surface to breathe. We would then steer the boat closer to the whale.

Sometimes we just watched the whales from the deck of the boat, and other times we were able to get in the water and swim with the whales.

Is it scary to swim with whales?

No. Whales are very gentle around people, and very curious about us. We are always very careful not to swim toward the whales or make them nervous. When we could see that the whales were being aggressive with each other, we would stay on the boat. So we only swam with calm, friendly whales.

Even so, sometimes when you find yourself in the water, very close to four or five very big whales, it can be a little scary. But the whales seemed to try not to get too close to us, too.