Tag Archives: humpback whales

Uoleva

Uoleva: The Island of Walks

Uoleva is a beautiful “w” shapped island that has a 6-mile, white, sandy beach that surrounds it.  In the center is a lush forest full of palm trees and thick vegetation.  There are no markets, gas stations, roads, churches, cell towers, or modern conveniences.  Three small resorts (20ppl or less each) and a kite surf school are based here.  But it is not easy to get here.

Guests usually fly into Fiji, then into Vava’u, then into Lifuka.  From there, the guests are shuttled in a boat for 20-minutes to Uoleva.  You have to really want to come here.  But once you are here, you are in a true island paradise.

Each resort offers a variety of packages including room and board.  They have generators, solar, wifi, water tanks and made lovely conveniences that make your stay comfortable.  We visited Serenity and Sea Change. 

Getting to Uoleva

We had a 35nm sail from Tanoa to Uoleva.  It was another light wind day so we decided to put up our medium spinnaker.  She needed to dry out a bit anyway and we were not in a big hurry.  Can you see that we are going faster than the wind?  I love when that happens (thanx to the sea surfing us down a wave).

Along the way, we had several whales swim near us and show us their best tricks. I love the tail wave and the flipper wave.

Anchorage

We decided to anchor somewhere different than most boats.  Most boats anchor in front of the resorts but we decided to anchor on the other side so we had a lovely view of the towering palm trees over the sandy beach.

We had a fantastic sunset on our first night.  

6-mile Loop around Uoleva

The next day we decided to walk around Uoleva.  We left at low tide with some water and our flip flops.  We knew it would be a long walk, but truth be told, I had no idea it would be 6 miles!

Most of the walk was on a soft, sandy beach.  There were a few areas where we had to walk on the limestone, coral rocks and or jump over or crawl under fallen trees (from the tsunami).

Walking 6-miles is not that big of a deal to us, but walking 6-miles in soft sand makes you work!  I ws exhausted and so ready for a cold drink and a chair.

We found a couple of short cuts that take you from east to west (or visa versa).  One even tempted you with a sign that said “beer.”  But we did not succomb to our desires for a cold beverave, we kept going around the island.

We ended up at Serenity Resort.  We asked three people for a cold drink of water and a beer for Matt.  They are not used to outsiders coming for food or drinks so we certainly confused them.  They did serve us but it was not customary.  So, we moved on to Sea Change Ecco Resort which happily offered us a Tongan cocktail and cold beer.

We were pretty darn tired so headed back to the boat and enjoyed another lovely sunset.  This is the Koa volcano in the disrtance.

Sea Change Ecco Resort

Not sure if you remember, but a year and a half ago I met this woman named Krista on a whale watching tour.  She lives in Hawaii and works with marine animals for a living.  We kept in touch and to our surprise, we were both going to be in Tonga at the same time!  So, we made plans to visit her at the Sea Change Ecco Resort where she was working giving whale tours, massages, and doing generally anything and everything around the place.

She gave us a tour around the resort and then we caught up over a cold drink after our walk.  She is so fabulous and nice!

The owners Clint and Maria live in Auckland when they are not living here in Tonga running their beautiful little resort on Uoleva.

This blog occured toward the end of July 2023.  Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events.  In our last blog I wrote about the small bump in the pacific ocean called Tanoa.

Photo courtesy of Voyages of Agape

Magnificent Humpback Whales Part II

You wanted more photos of humpback whales and here they are!  A few of my friends had the pleasure of going out over a dozen times and were able to capture more photos in clearer water.  They have blessed me with sharing them with you.

Krista Anne (Facebook as mermaid) has worked with marine animals for years, including as a dolphin trainer.  She has a heart of gold and captured many amazing shots.

Momma and baby

Just because they are so darn cute

She caught several humpback whales at play.

Got up close and personal with a few…look at their beautiful eyes!

Photos by Rachel Moore

Rachel captured these amazing close up shots.  They are such magestic creatures and she captures them beautifully.  Check out her instagram account at moore_rachel or find her on Facebook.

As much as I wished I captured the above photos myself, I am grateful for the whale experience I had.  Being able to swim with 4 adult humpback whales at one time is rare and a true blessing.  Maybe next time I come back I will swim with a momma and her baby.  One can dream.

I go on a tour in search of the humpback whales in our last blog.  Events from this blog post occurred early October.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.

Magnificent Humpback Whales

It is whale season and I am determined to see and swim with these gentle giants!  We have missed this opportunity for the last few years, but were not going to be thwarted yet again.  We have had the extreme pleasure seeing the whales from our boat and dinghy.  They love to play just past the reef giving us a wonderful view of their antics.  I schedule a humpback whale tour with the hopes of swimming with them.

Humpback Whale Migration

The humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to French Polynesia every year.  It takes 6-8 weeks to make this 3800-mile journey.  The whales from Alaska go to Hawaii and the whales from Antarctica go to French Polynesia, Tonga, Pacific islands.  They do not ever cross over the equator as they stay in the hemisphere that they come from.  You might ask, “how do they find their way?”  They direct themselves using the earth’s magnetic field as they have magnetite crystals in their brain that function as an internal compass.

Whales spend 7-8 months feeding in the Antarctica waters preparing to make the journey to breed and/or give birth.  Whales who do not wish to breed and who are not giving birth will remain in Antarctica to feed.  Once the whales leave Antarctica, they do not eat.  Which means they fast for the 6-8 weeks it takes to get to French Polynesia, the 3-4 months they stay to breed and mate, and the 6-8 weeks to make the return trip back to Antarctica.  That’s a long time!!!

The humpback whales are in French Polynesia between August and November.  Some come as early as June and stay as late as December, but the majority of them are here between August and November.

Mating in French Polynesia

The females that decide to breed, make the long journey to warm waters in search of a mate.  The males will sing for up to 30 minutes to attract a female (and or warn off other males).  When the males sing, they put their head down and keep their body at a 45° angle so that his song can be heard further.  The songs of the male can be heard for hundreds of miles.  In addition, the males will breach and tail flap as signs of attraction. 

French Polynesia Births

Sexual maturity is between 5-10 years of age for both males and females.  The females will mate every 2-3 years and gestation lasts between 11-12 months.  Females mating in French Polynesia this year will return next year to give birth.

The momma humpback whale can weigh up to 40 tons and grow as large as 60’.  The calf weighs about a ton and is about the length of a VW bus (10-15’).  The calf will feed exclusively on milk (80-120 gallons per day) for the first 6 months.  That milk is 30-50% fat which helps the calf gain about 130lbs per day!

The calf will double its birth weight within the first 2 weeks.  It will then remain with its mother for at least a year, sometimes 2 if the mother allows it.  The calf is considered a juvenile at 3-4 years of age.

Fun Facts about Humpback Whales

  • The name “humpback whale” is derived from the curving of their backs when diving
  • Lifespan is roughly 50-55 years
  • Adult Males average length is 43-46’, females 50-60′;
  • Weight 28-33 tons
  • 1 ton = daily weight of food
  • 1585 gallons = quantity of water swallowed in one gulp
  • Brain weighs 13lbs (5 times heavier than our brains)
  • Calves hold their breath for 2-4 min, juveniles 10-15 min, adults 20-25, longest on record 45 min
  • Their blow can reach up to 9’ in height and 250mph, 455 gallons of air
  • Humpback whales dives average 33’ deep but can reach depth up to 165’
  • Solitary animals, come together to mate
  • Feeding areas are located in the north and south poles and mating areas are located in warm tropical waters (Hawaii, French Polynesia, Tonga

Humpback Whales in French Polynesia

French Polynesia is Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a wildlife sanctuary.  So, interacting with the marine life is heavily regulated.  The heavy restrictions are usually, but not always followed.  Our tour group, Dolphin and Whale Spirt Adventures, were very respectful of these gentle giants, but we saw several other tour boats behaving badly. 

Our tour picked us up at 0745 and made several stops along the way to round up the rest of the participants.  We ended up having 11 tourists, 1 captain-Teddy, 1 photographer-Emile, and 1 swimming guide-Lana.  Our chariot arrives.

Dolphin and Whale Spirit Adventures

Dolphin and Whale Spirit Adventures

We passed Matt on the paddle board about 2 miles away from the boat.

Then passed Sugar Shack on the way to start the tour.

Our Tour Begins…

Our first stop was to see a rather large group of spinner dolphins.  Unfortunately, I did not have my camera ready and missed the truly amazing show.  These sweet critters would pierce the water, spinning in 360’s until they flopped back down in the lagoon. 

Then we were off to find the humpback whales.  We arrived at our first location and jumped in.  Unfortunately, you have to wait for all guests to get in before proceeding and some take longer than others to gather their gear and slide into the water.  However, I heard the beautiful tunes of the male’s song as soon as I hit the water.  It was so loud that it vibrated through my body and soul.  The sound is a cross between haunting and beautiful.  We searched and searched for him but never saw him.  He moved on.

We repeated this process 5-6 times in search of this gentle giant.  We finally saw him.  He was rather far away and the water was a bit murky. But he slowly raised to the surface for breath before descending back into the ocean.  This was the only photo I was able to extract from my video.  Don’t fret as there are better photos below and coming up in the next blog 🙂

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale

This juvenile male was about 7-8 meters (23-28′) and about 3-4 years old.  Already looking for a mate.

This is our group waiting for our boat to pick us up.

Unpopularly Popular

While we were out, we were hanging with 9 other tour boats, each with 10-15 people.  A few had no respect for the animals and kept their engines on as they tried to get closer.  Our guide was convinced he was scaring the whales. Either way, we did not see any more whales during our tour.  Much to my dismay as I have many friends who have gone out and spent hours with the whales and spotted mommas with their babies.

All in all this first tour was rather disappointing. Yes, we swam with “a whale” but he was so far away, the water was murky and there were tons of boats and other people around.

Whale Tour #2 Provides an Excellent Experience

Steve and Lili on SV Liward scheduled a private charter with us and Agape (Josh and Rachel).  Patea and Heiva pick us up in a super fabulous boat.  There is more seating, lots of dry storage, and plenty of hand holds.  Much better boat than our previous charter boat  This group is called Moorea Blue Water.

Patea and our boat for the day

Patea and our boat for the day

4 Drops with 4 Adult Males!

Our first stop we drop into the water with no other boats in sight.  We immediately see 4 male adults swimming below us.  Seriously, this is amazing!

Can you see all 4 whales?

Can you see all 4 whales?

We drop in the water 3 more times to spend more time with these beautiful humpback whales.

Just because these are so amazing, I thought I’d show you the actual full size photos.This guy swam right under me. I thought his tail might accidently hit me he was so close.

These two come up for a breath of air.

Our group on Moorea Blue Water tour:

Professional Photos from Agape

Our friend Rachel, on Agape, is a photographer.  She is hired out to take photos of tourist with the whales and she shared a few magnificent photos with me. Check out her blog voyages of agape or find her on Instagram at moore_rachel.

Not only does she have a state of the art camera, but she has an uncanny gift of capturing marine wildlife.  The bottom left photo you can see all 4 adult humpback whales!

In our next blog, I will share more photos from her previous trips.

Turtles, Sharks, Sting Rays

On our way back we jump in to meet some turtles.  It was a drift snorkel where we encountered 6 really large hawksbill turtles.

And we stopped off at Sting Ray City and swam with sharks and sting rays.  Can you see the little flounder in the lower left photo?

Helpful links

We visit the underworld of the turtles in our last blog.  Events from this blog post occurred the end of September.  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind our adventures.