Located in the northern region of Tonga, the Vava’u islands rise up from warm turquoise waters like jewels. With lush, tropical growth creating green blankets that contrast beautifully with the islands’ white beaches, plus splendid marine life and dive sites that are simply unforgettable, Vava’u offers wrecks, caves, and more. Here are just five of the most exciting sites available.
Clan McWilliam
The Clan McWilliam was lost in 1942 after an accident in which she caught fire and subsequently suffered damage to her steering system before sinking. Launched in 1918, the ship is sitting upright and is amazingly intact, considering her age. At 140 meters long, the wreck is covered in a beautiful mantle of hard and soft corals that host a variety of marine life, including colorful tropical fish and crustaceans. Use caution as you explore; there are scorpion fish and stone fish hiding in unexpected places. Maximum depth is just 30 meters, making this incredible wreck easy for recreational divers to access.
Tu’ungasika
A little island bordered by soaring cliffs, Tu’ungasika features magnificent walls that meet the seabed at depths between 30 and 40 meters. Along the walls, you’ll find small caverns where you can sometimes encounter white tip reef sharks. There are at least three dive sites here; notable points of interest include a cave where a splendid wall of golden sea fans hide tiny creatures, and another includes a beautiful anemone covered reef that is home to colonies of brilliantly colored clownfish. As you explore, keep an eye out for turtles, tuna and barracuda.
Kitu Cave
A magnificent series of chambers with a wide entrance that can be seen from most points inside, Kitu Cave offers some amazing photo opps. One of its most amazing features is a series of tunnels that lead to a huge dry open area, which is filled with fresh air. Outside the cave, a coral garden filled with enormous sea fans, some as large as two meters across, shelters a wide array of marine life. Beyond the garden, a steep drop off offers a vantage point out into the blue, where you can see lots of large pelagic fish and the occasional shark.
Hunga Magic
One of those rare and truly amazing experiences that happen once in a life time, the Hunga Magic trip involves a short journey to the calving grounds of the Humpback Whales, where you can swim with these magnificent creatures between late July and mid-October. Besides the whales, you’ll find a lovely underwater landscape where leather corals and sea fans, carnation corals, and stony corals shelter countless crustaceans and fish.
Kapa
Featuring a fantastic wall where you can find several different nudibranch species, Kapa is home to schooling bream and big shoals of baitfish, which attract large tuna and barracuda. While it is fun to watch these huge fish hunt, the site also offers another attraction called Swallow’s Cave, which is illuminated from above in some areas and dark in others. Perfect for all types of photography, this site is one you won’t soon forget.
Vava’u offers wonderful resorts with a variety of accommodations, and local dive operators are friendly and well-equipped. Local customs dictate modesty in dress; bare shoulders are frowned upon outside the boundaries of resorts. Be sure to learn a little about Tonga before you visit, and don’t forget to spend some time visiting historic topside attractions between dives. Most of all, enjoy your holiday – you’re certain to want to return once it is over.