We awoke somewhat refreshed after the marathon journey with high anticipation for whale encounters.
Adult humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) weigh between 30 - 40 tons and measure 45- 50 foot in length. Life expectancy is about 75 years. Every year, Southern humpback whales depart their frigid feeding grounds in Antarctica and swim more than 5000 miles to tropical Tongan waters to give birth and mate. The shallow protected waters between the numerous islands act as a nursery for the newborn calves. At birth, the calf weighs a mere 1 - 2 tons, but grows rapidly on the 100 liters of nutritious fatty milk provided by the cow each day.
Within an hour of our first morning out on the water, we were already swimming less than 30 feet from a mother humpback (cow) and her 2 month old calf -- absolutely unbelievable! The tolerant mother permitted us to observe and interact with the curious baby for several hours. As we would sadly discover during the remainder of our stay, most humpbacks would not be so tolerant of human presence -- constantly on the move. The image below shows Richelle quite close to the relaxed pair. ( YouTube Links of her uneditted videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duE6Z_h-gqI , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHe4xLnBmX4 , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehlFgsDq9Xk , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctLn2_6tAxo & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Se0iwkhN8)
That afternoon, in the deep waters surrounding Vava'u, we also witnessed a "heat run" where males (bulls) fight for dominance, and ultimately, the right to mate. Eight bulls repeatedly bumped each other as they chased a single cow. We made several attempts to get in the midst of the racing pack by being dropped off in front of them but as soon as we entered the water, these leviathans merely dove deep under us. (YouTube video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGWoezewcjY&feature=related )
