Tonga Humpback Whale Trip Report 2025

Ha’apai, Tonga
September 24 - October 1, 2025

 September 25, 2025. Day One

It begins! We woke to beautiful blue skies with some wind, nothing too bad. Around 3 a.m. the winds were still howling, so I figured we’d see more of that today. But so far, it’s been nice.

Hardly any clouds, which gave us a real shot at some amazing moments out here.

After about thirty minutes of a slow cruise, we encountered a mom with a small calf and an escort. 

They were swimming slowly, so we followed to see if she might settle down and give us a chance to slip in. 

She never did, so we left them and kept searching for a friendlier mom and calf.

There’s also been talk of a leatherback spotted here at least once a week this season. 

That’s my unicorn, a dream encounter. I’m keeping my gear close, just in case.

It took us all morning, but finally we found a player: a mom and calf.

The calf is already famous around here, known for being friendly and mischievous. 

With the brief time we had, he definitely lived up to the reputation.

He came in super close, forcing us to dodge both his pectoral fin and his tail as he swiped playfully, almost hitting me twice. 

Not malicious, just an overgrown baby eager to play and unaware of his own size and strength.

We managed a couple good jumps with him before calling it a day. 

We’d have loved more time, but after spending all day searching, we ran out of time.

So we called it a day.

Not a perfect first day, but a damn good one.

September 26, 2025. Day Two.

Yesterday was a good day, there are still plenty of whales around, which is encouraging. Conditions were a bit windy, and the farther we went out, the rougher it got, making for lumpy seas.

Today the wind is calming down, which is nice, because that means the farther we get from the island’s protection, the more the ocean should lay down. That means smoother conditions, easier navigation, easier exits from the water, and better chances to spot the animals that are farther away.

So, the day begins. Here’s hoping for good encounters and whales that want to play.

8:44 a.m. We’re headed out on a different boat today since we’ll be going for a scuba dive afterward. 

Plan is to check out a reef, look for zebra sharks, and see what else is hanging around.

1:30 p.m. Heading in now after a nice finish to the day. 

The morning was slow, plenty of whales, but none interested in us. Then finally, we got the chance to swim with a mom and calf. 

The calf was curious, giving us several good passes.

The light was beautiful, and everyone had the chance for a nice encounter.

A perfect way to close out our second day with the whales.

This afternoon we slipped in a scuba dive around a pinnacle reef. It is really a volcanic pinnacle rising from deep water with sheer drop offs on all sides. 

It is a vertical drop off diving habitat. 

I was hoping for a shark or a turtle, still holding out for that leatherback dream. The ledges, crevices, overhangs, and small coral patches were alive with small fish, clearly a cleaning station. You get the sense that when no one’s around, this spot must attract some incredible pelagic visitors.

It was a nice dive. I liked it.

We finished off the evening with the traditional Friday night Tongan pig roast that they share with all the guests at the hotel. The locals sing, the kids from the school come out to sing and dance, and the guests all donate to the school. It’s a good cause.

September 27, 2025. Day Three

We’re heading out on flat, calm seas under a heavy blanket of clouds. Hopefully the sun burns it off, but we’ll see.

8:38 a.m. It begins.

9:47 a.m. We’ve been following a mom, calf, and escort, trying to get in with them. 

They’re a bit shy, but we gave it a try. Sadly, they said no. Time to go find another family.

11:00 a.m. We found another mom, calf, and escort that were more tolerant. 

We stayed cautious, keeping closer to the escort rather than the mom and calf. 

You never know with escorts, they can be unpredictable. Sometimes they’re males hoping to mate with the mother, but other times they might be older siblings or even grandmothers. Their role within humpback family groups is still a bit of a mystery.

Eventually, we left the whales once they were no longer resting. 

After another search, we got a radio call… someone had found the whales from day one.

That meant the return of our super buggy gray boy, the playful, mischievous calf.

His colors are beautiful, and once again we had amazing interactions with him. 

He loves to get close, often forcing us to swim backwards just to stay out of his way. 

Such a fun whale to be with.

Sadly, we didn’t find him earlier in the day, so we only managed one jump with him before heading back.

A nice way to end day three.

September 29, 2025 – Day Four

Yesterday was Sunday, and here in Tonga that means a sacred day of rest. No one works, so we had the day off from the ocean.

We kept it easy, a relaxed, chill day. We all went for a snorkel on the reef hoping to find sharks. No luck, but the reef itself was beautiful, and it made for a nice swim.

9:00 AM, Monday. We headed out into a calm ocean under plenty of sunshine, searching for whales. The weather was perfect, and I hoped the good conditions would hold. I am curious where our captain will begin our search, most of our best swims have been with whales close to shore, so wondering what today would bring.

It begins…

10:20 AM. We had our first swim with a mom and calf. They were on the move when our group jumped in, and unfortunately, they didn’t stop.

1:00 PM. As we were nearly out of time, we finally found what we’d been looking for, a very playful young whale. There’s definitely a pattern: we search all day, and the magic often shows up right when we’re running out of daylight.

This little boy was pure joy. Rolling, playing, circling around us, just happy to be alive. I managed two jumps with him.

On the second jump, I was fighting with my camera. My housing “Gloria” was giving me grief, and I struggled to get the colors right while the whale swam around putting on a show. 

At last, I dialed in the custom white balance, and when I looked up, he was still there. I finished the session on an incredible high.

What a great whale. I had forgotten just how much fun baby humpbacks are. They’re endless fun.

Back on shore, I downloaded the day’s footage and was happy with a few of the images. Even though I wrestled with white balance underwater, the files cleaned up beautifully in post.

I was reviewing shots when Jess, one of our guests, knocked on my door with news: a zebra shark had been spotted in the shallows in front of Matafonua lodge. I’d already gone out twice looking for it with no luck, so I didn’t hesitate. 

Third time’s the charm.

I threw my gear back on, and Jess and I headed for the point. The current wasn’t bad, and after about 20 minutes, Jess spotted it. 

Game on.

I free-dived down to photograph her. At first, she wasn’t thrilled and swam off to deeper water. I dropped again, snapped a few more shots, and she moved once more. On the third dive she stayed put, finally realizing I wasn’t a threat. I took my shots, admired the beautiful girl, and said goodbye.

A perfect way to end Day Four.

September 30, 2025. Final Day!

Today is our last day in Tonga, and the weather couldn’t be more perfect.

The sky is deep blue with almost no clouds, the sun is shining, and the ocean is flat calm. This is the stuff of dreams, pure magic. 

I couldn’t ask for a better way to finish up this trip.

I’m super excited to get out there, hoping we find some playful young whales to finish strong. 

The babies have been incredible all week. Steve, one of the calves we’ve encountered, has been a dream whale to swim with, and I hope we find him again today. 

More than anything, I want us all to have one more day of magic.

12:40 PM. We found a mom and calf quickly and had some really nice swims with them.

Sadly it wasn’t Steve, but this calf was still a lot of fun, coming in close, circling us, showing plenty of curiosity.

Not quite Steve-close, but close enough to make the day special.

It makes me happy to know we had good swims with whales every single day this week.

You can’t ask for more than that on a trip.

We didn’t find any more whales after that encounter, but honestly, I was super happy.

Looking back, it was a beautiful week in Tonga… great whales, some truly special moments, and even my zebra shark encounter.

The weather treated us well overall, just a few windy days, nothing serious.

A huge thank you to my friends who joined us this week.

Sharing these moments with you was pure joy. Thank you!