Uploaded April 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
WANNA DO THE SAME (but in French Polynesia)? Join me next September: eepurl.com/dEXn2r
Swimming, snorkeling and freediving with whales and dolphins in Tonga.
Swimming with whales in the wild and open has been a long-time dream of mine. The whales usually start to show up in late July to early August and stay until mid-October. It’s hard to pick a sweet spot within that timeframe as any week has the potential to have tons of whale sightings, or not. Some days will be packed with whale swims while others might only have one or none. Humpback whales are wild animals and since the boats don’t feed or coax them into interactions, there are never any guarantees.
We definitely got lucky, though! Seven of us headed out on a speed boat off of the island of Vava’u, Tonga, and we were one of only 10-15 boats out on the water that day, and each of the six days that we spent swimming with the whales. We hung out with a mother whale with calfs, singing male whales, and witnessed a couple of heat runs, led by a female in heat and involving several male whales all vying for a chance to mate with her. Not only did we swim with several whales, but four dolphins as well! The trip finished with a beautiful swim in a crystal clear cave full of tiny, glittering fish.
I’m forever changed after this experience. CLICK HERE to read more about my experience and how you can book, prepare and get the most out of your trip: bemytravelmuse.com/tonga-whale-swim
Partial footage credits: Matt Reichel and Karim Iliya of Dance With Whales
↠ SUBSCRIBE for solo travel advice around the world ↠ youtube.com/bemytravelmuse
WANNA DO THE SAME (but in French Polynesia)? Join me next September: eepurl.com/dEXn2r
Swimming, snorkeling and freediving with whales and dolphins in Tonga.
Swimming with whales in the wild and open has been a long-time dream of mine. The whales usually start to show up in late July to early August and stay until mid-October. It’s hard to pick a sweet spot within that timeframe as any week has the potential to have tons of whale sightings, or not. Some days will be packed with whale swims while others might only have one or none. Humpback whales are wild animals and since the boats don’t feed or coax them into interactions, there are never any guarantees.
We definitely got lucky, though! Seven of us headed out on a speed boat off of the island of Vava’u, Tonga, and we were one of only 10-15 boats out on the water that day, and each of the six days that we spent swimming with the whales. We hung out with a mother whale with calfs, singing male whales, and witnessed a couple of heat runs, led by a female in heat and involving several male whales all vying for a chance to mate with her. Not only did we swim with several whales, but four dolphins as well! The trip finished with a beautiful swim in a crystal clear cave full of tiny, glittering fish.
I’m forever changed after this experience. CLICK HERE to read more about my experience and how you can book, prepare and get the most out of your trip: bemytravelmuse.com/tonga-whale-swim
Partial footage credits: Matt Reichel and Karim Iliya of Dance With Whales
↠ SUBSCRIBE for solo travel advice around the world ↠ youtube.com/bemytravelmuse
