Tonga in November

[Luca Brasi]

Looking for an exotic location in November. I’m leaving fro USA east coast. I was thinking of Tonga for diving and humpback whales. Has anyone been there recently

 

[cetacean]

The good news is that the water will be slightly warmer for diving, the bad news is that the vast majority of whales will have already left for more southern waters.

October is basically the end of their whale snorkeling season. Occasionally you'll see a couple whales hang around after this, however the mothers and calves will almost certainly have left by this time.

 

[Dan]

@cetacean when is the best time to see the mothers and calves?

 

[cetacean]

@Dan - first calves will be visible in mid July, however the mothers are very protective when their calves are first born (in part because the males will still be around as well). About ~30 days later (mid-August) you'll see mothers letting their calves explore more (which means better/more frequent interactions with swimmers). By mid-september they are usually old enough/strong enough to travel south so you'll see mother/calf pairs start to be more active right before they depart on their long migration.

There is variablity in this, so anytime from mid-July onwards you have a good chance to see calves swimming around their mothers. The best interactions seem to be August/mid-September, and after this it's only a few "late" pairs that will be around.