Whale Watching and Swimming in ‘Eua
Humpback whales make an amazing migration from their feeding grounds in Antarctica to the warm and sheltered waters of Tonga each year between June and November to mate and calve. ‘Eua is on the main path of their migration, making the island one of the best for watching and swimming with whales. The best time to experience the whales is in the height of the season, from July to October. ‘Eua has a very small number of whale operators compared to Ha’apai and Vava’u, but after reading this guide to the whale tours in ‘Eua, you might just decide that ‘Eua is the place for you to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience…
For more on whale watching and swimming, see Tonga Whales: The Guide to Whale Swimming in Tonga and 10 Tips for Swimming with Whales in Tonga.
Watching Whales from Land on ‘Eua
‘Eua is famous for being the best island in Tonga to watch whales from land. The island runs adjacent to waters famous for “heat runs” where there are large pods of competitive whales. Whale mothers and calves are often seen closer to shore, with sightings around three times a day from the resorts and lodges on the west side of the island.
From the east side of ‘Eua, particularly from the Lokupo Lookout and Laua Lookout in the ‘Eua National Park, there are excellent views of the water over the Tonga Trench which is the main migrating path for whales and is thought to be the main reason the whales migrate to Tonga. It is the world’s second-deepest ocean trench. Learn more about getting to the lookouts in the 5 Best Hikes in ‘Eua.
(c) Tonga Ministry of TourismFalakiko Falemaka (Kiko’s Whale Watching)
Get the real local experience, as well as local knowledge of the whales’ behaviour, with Falakiko Falemaka (formerly Kiko’s Whale Watching) or “Kiko” for short. Kiko is a certified whale swimming guide, which you can learn more about the importance of in The Guide to Whale Swimming in Tonga.
Kiko is a local fisherman who has been operating whale swimming and watching tours from his small fishing boat for more than 15 years. The boat has a limit of eight passengers, ensuring an uncrowded experience with the whales.
Wetsuits, snorkels and fins are provided, but he only has a few masks, so those with their own masks are best bringing them along. Accommodation transfers are also included in the rate.
Speaking of rate, Kiko’s Whale Watching has got itself a reputation for being the cheapest in the country for many years. However, it is now the same price as some operators in Tongatapu and Vava’u, albeit, the cheapest operators.
Kiko offers two whale swimming tours daily (except Sundays), one in the morning and one in the afternoon, lasting approximately two hours.
(c) tongapocketguide.com[UPDATE] Deep Blue Diving
[Update: Deep Blue Diving is only operating whale swimming from Tongatapu; not ‘Eua for the current whale swimming season. Learn more about whale swimming from Tongatapu in The Best Whale Swim Tours in Tongatapu].
Run by the same owners as Ovava Tree Lodge, Deep Blue Diving run whale swimming tours in both Tongatapu and ‘Eua during the whale season.
Swim with the humpbacks with certified guides where there is a maximum of four swimmers with a guide at a time. While Deep Blue Diving operates one of the largest whale tour boats in Tongatapu, their ‘Eua boat is much smaller, fitting a maximum of eight passengers.
Whale tours last approximately four hours with one tour operating per day. The team take safety seriously, so do inform them if you have any issue with swimming in the open water. They have all the expected safety gear on board and include all of the snorkelling gear, such as wetsuits, fins, masks and snorkels.
Snacks and bottled water are included in the tour, while lunch at Ovava Tree Lodge will be included when you return to land. Transfers from Ovava Tree Lodge are also included. Video and photo packages are available.
(c) tongapocketguide.com[UPDATE] Blue Water Retreat
[Update: Blue Water Retreat is not operating for the current whale swimming season].
Also going by the name “Whale Dive Tonga”, Blue Water Retreat offers multi-day ‘Eua whale swim packages. Their ‘Eua Whale Swim package is a seven-day package, utilising the best five days for whale swimming (and, of course, avoiding Sundays due to Tongan law).
Whale swimming is from their small custom-made charter boats designed with whale swimming and diving in mind with ladders making it easy to get in and out of the water. There is a maximum of eight passengers on the boat.
All of the snorkelling gear is provided, including masks, snorkels, fins and wetsuits. On-board is a licensed whale swimming guide, as well as a marine biologist.
Their seven-day packages also include seven nights accommodation at Blue Water Retreat, all meals, beer and wine at dinner, transfers from Tongatapu to ‘Eua, daily transfers to the boat, half-day land tour on ‘Eua Island, a souvenir T-shirt and a hat, and limited daily WiFi.
(c) tongapocketguide.com[UPDATE] Taina’s Place
[Update: Taina’s Place is not operating for the current whale swimming season].
Taina’s Place not only provides budget accommodation for travellers, but they also offer whale watching tours. It’s important to emphasise that their tours are for watching the whales only, not swimming. Taina’s Place has a license to watch whales from their small fishing boat.
Whale watching with Taina’s Place allows travellers to get closer to whales providing a better whale watching experience than what you would usually get on land. It also costs approximately half the price of the cheapest whale swimming tour, making it a much more affordable whale encounter.
See more activities that Taina’s Place offers in 10 Free & Cheap Things To Do on ‘Eua, as well as more about the accommodation in 6 Best Budget Accommodations on ‘Eua.
More About the Best Whale Tours in ‘Eua
That’s it for our list of the best whale swim tours in ‘Eua. For more about whale swimming tours in ‘Eua, take a look at more of our amazing literature:
- 5 Ways to Get to (& Around) ‘Eua
- The Best Place to Swim with Whales in Tonga
- 10 Best Things to Do in ‘Eua
Finally, if there’s anything we’ve missed, you’re likely to find it in The Guide to Whale Swimming in Tonga and The Complete Travel Guide to ‘Eua.
