If you’re scuba diving in Tonga, forget the old adage “it’s the little things that matter.” While the islands are small, scuba divers here are mostly interested in the big–or the enormous, that is. Some of the most popular dive sites in Tonga usher in main attractions that take up a rather large stage–most notably the gigantic whales and the massive shipwrecks. Whether you long to see the migrating whales or the mysterious and haunting shipwrecks, be prepared to feel even smaller than the islands of Tonga as you dive its vast blue ocean.
Whale Diving in Tonga
If you’re headed to see humpbacks, diving in Ha’apai off Foa Island in Tonga should be on your list of destinations–and the best time of year to watch them pass through is between July and October. The waters in Ha’apai are clear; normal visibility is between 30-40 meters (100-140 feet) or more and is a real treat to visitors. As an added bonus, temperatures average 24C in the winter and 28C in the summer, so divers will be comfortable year round.
Humpback whales in Ha’apai are often spotted first from the boat, and those who are lucky will observe them during their underwater dive in the wild marine kingdom (on some days divers have even spotted the first whales before leaving the beach). And, a wild marine kingdom it truly is–unlike other whale and dolphin scuba encounters, the whales are not confined by any artificial barriers in Tonga. They are free to roam throughout the ocean but they choose to spend the mating season in the sheltered waters of the kingdom. Tonga is one of the few places in the world where divers are still allowed to be in the water with humpback whales. What bigger thrill can there be than swimming with 45 ton sea creatures?
Dive operators, however, minimize impact on the environment and the species while maximizing the experience with a set of guidelines that divers will be introduced to when whale diving in Tonga. That is, whales are–and always will be–in charge of how a dive plays out. From the moment of a first whale sighting, the boat’s approach to the whales is slow and not intrusive, which also allows for research and observation to be conducted as well. If whales move to avoid the boat, drivers let them go on their way, and the dive group will continue on looking for more whales. If on the other hand whales approach or maintain their position, divers may get in the water. Also, rules like a limit on the number of snorkelers or divers in the water at one time, restrictions on getting too close to whales, and mandatory buoyancy aids help to maintain the health and well being of the humpback whales.
Nothing in Tonga is staged. Divers who visit aren’t in an aquarium where there are regularly scheduled shows to see. Swim-bys, adult play sessions, and mother and calf interactions are all happenstance–so the longer you stay, the more chances to play. Dive operators and whale watching crews don’t get in the water every day, so if you’re hoping to see a whale, plan to hit the water on several days of your trip.
That being said, many of the whale watching dive sites in Ha‘apai are within the shelter of the islands and barrier reef and there are also a number of dives that are in open water providing opportunities for other pelagic animal encounters including sharks, tuna, trevally and barracuda etc. Turtles are encountered on many dives as well as eagle rays, sea snakes and myriad tropical reef fish. In addition, there are caves, canyons, caverns, vertical walls and coral gardens to explore when you’re not waiting for the big humpback visitors to appear.
Wreck Diving in Tonga
Tonga boasts a number of incredible and haunting wreck dives from large cargo ships to remains of 19th century sailing ships. Throughout history, a great number of vessels have unwittingly run aground on Tonga’s unforgiving reefs. Many of those shipwrecks still remain undiscovered to the present day. Research teams and naval units have been dispatched in recent years in an attempt to document and identify more of the thousands of ships that lurk in watery graves around the islands of Tonga.
Of the sites that have been discovered, the area around Tongatapu has its share of old shipwreck sites that divers can explore, one of which features a massive anchor from one of Captain Cook’s ships.
The most famous wreck site in Tonga, however, is the Clan McWilliam Wreck in Vava’u. The 140-meter (450-foot) massive steel freighter remains almost completely intact today. Originally launched in 1918, the freighter was scheduled to spend most of the next decade plying the South Pacific. But an accident involving fire within the cargo led to the ship’s demise and it shortly thereafter sunk within the Tonga’s Vava’u harbor to a depth of 30 meters (100 feet) deep. Now, the wreck is covered in coral reefs–both hard and soft–which houses a variety of small schooling fish. Divers comment how the wreck site resembles the Titanic era; divers can virtually stand on a deck which has not witnessed the green hills and shining sun over Vava’u for more than 70 years.
At the end of the dive day in Tonga, divers will return to their quaint rooms–a significant contrast from the massive underwater sightings both natural and man-made lurking in the waters. And, when the trip concludes, there’s little chance that any scuba diver will return from a trip to Tonga without feeling inspired by the great images produced around such tiny specks of land.