whales ... Rurutu vs Tonga?

[fish80]

I am planning to go swimming / freediving with the humpback whales, and deciding between a trip to Tonga or to Rurutu around the end of September.

Ruruto is easier to go to for me (I am travelling from Hawaii), but I was wondering which one is best for seeing whales up close. I also like to take some videos / pictures to show my family and friends.

Any experience / recommendations? Where would you go between the two?

Thanks a lot!

 

[Fibonacci]

I can thoroughly recommend Tonga... snorkelling with a Humpback whale and her calf was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

 

[fish80]

I can thoroughly recommend Tonga... snorkelling with a Humpback whale and her calf was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

Thank you! When did you go? Looks like most operators are fully booked unless I go at the end of the season, i.e. mid or end of October...

 

[Fibonacci]

We went towards the beginning of October, was a bit quieter but got lucky with the whale on the second last day.
Dive operator only allowed two snorkelers to be in the water at any one time (strict so as not to harass the mothers with new calves) and to not swim towards them, or splash.
My GF and I were last two, slid quietly into the water and got lucky when she just drifted closer to us, observing us calmly as we hung there awestruck!

 

[fish80]

We went towards the beginning of October, was a bit quieter but got lucky with the whale on the second last day.

How many days did you go whale swimming? Sounds like you only had one encounter with one whale and a calf right? Even still pretty awesome one of course

 

[Fibonacci]

Only one whale swimming event and even then it was coming back from a dive. The skipper spotted them, positioned the boat where we should drift past and cut the engines... we then slid into the water in twos with just mask and snorkel.
Sometimes the best experiences are completely unplanned!

 

[Wingy]

Just to throw another idea into the mix - snorkelling with Humpacks is also now approved at Exmouth/NIngaloo

Humpback Whale Swimming

I'd combine humpback snorkelling with diving the navy pier and also Whale Sharks, Mantas and dugongs frequent the area - you can do whaleshark tours or sometimes, you get lucky diving and get a nice surprise

 

[charlier]

Wingy - I always thought that diving in Oz was expensive. But two dive at Navy pier for $627.50 is pricey.

 

[Wingy]

Huh what lol - I didn't look at their dive price. NIngaloo dives prices seem less like a typo

Exmouth Navy Pier: A Divesight full of diversity - Dive Ningaloo

It is a brilliant dive....but it's a shore dive...no two shore dives are worth much more than this!

The other problem with diving at Exmouth/NIngaloo is cost of flights from Perth - a couple of weeks ago I could've flown to Amsterdam on Etihad cheaper than return flights to Exmouth. I recall seeing something about all flights being booked at times to the locals detriment. I guess good diving is never easy or cheap to find

Glad I got to grow up with my dad diving there in the 60s and 70s - although I'm not too sure how many divers would put up with a 1700km drive on largely unsealed dirt roads nowadays.

 

[charlier]

I'd put up with a 1700km drive before I'd pay $600 or $700 for two dives.