Dive Forster
diving and adventure trip to Vava’u in Tonga, September 2002
By: Ron Hunter of Dive Forster at Fisherman’s Wharf
A group from Dive Forster at Fisherman’s Wharf have just returned
from a diving and adventure trip during September 2002 to Vava’u in Tonga.
Leaving Sydney we flew to Nuku’alofa via Auckland. After an overnight
stay in Nuku’alofa, we flew to the northern island of Vava’u.
The main town of the island of Vava’u, Neiafu is a delightful mix of old
world charm with a waterfront lined with old Victorian style wooden buildings,
palm trees, churches and quaint waterfront cafes. This is a paradise for yachtsmen
from all over the planet; in excess of one hundred yachts were swinging at their
moorings in Port of Refuge, the harbour that Neiafu abuts.
The air temperature was quite cool for a few days at 19 degrees C, this warmed
up to a very pleasant 28 degrees C later in our stay, the evenings here were
cool allowing for restful nights.
Tonga is known as the “Friendly Isles”, and this description is
so apt. The native Tongans were the friendliest, most obliging people you would
ever wish to meet. They have great pride in their land and its’ environment.
Tonga is probably the cleanest of the many Pacific islands that I have visited
and so far removed from the filth and squalor that is a blight throughout most
of Asia.
The SCUBA diving:
Highlights of the trip were the diving around the undercut, mushroom like islands
and their limestone caves, and facing the open Pacific Ocean, the unspoiled
coral reefs. Water temperature was a steady 25 – 26 degrees C and visibility
was generally 25 to 40 metres and at the outside dive sites facing the Pacific
Ocean the water was clearest, deepest blue that I have experienced anywhere.
Our first dives at Vava’u were at “Split Rock” and “The
Fingers”, both dives were at a maximum depth of 25 metres, with most of
the better diving in the 12 to 15 metre deep range. Split Rock had swim-throughs,
tunnels and small caves to explore, painted crayfish filled every nook and cranny
in one cave. Hard corals abounded here; the fish life was mostly restricted
to small schools of fusiliers, angel and butterfly fish and myriad of small
tropical species. There were several anemones complete with attendant clown
fish.
There was a lot more and a greater variety of fish life on our second dive at
“The Fingers”, we were to return here for a night dive later in
the week.
Adverse weather conditions prevented us venturing out too far on our second
day of diving. We did dive “Reef One” and “Reef Two”,
these two sites were a little disappointing, with much of the coral damaged
from the cyclone that hit Vava’u the previous new year’s eve.
The night dive at “The Fingers” was very enjoyable, Lion Fish, Indian
Leaf Fish, lobsters and giant sea worms were all in attendance.
The weather had improved markedly for our third day of diving and we ventured
out to the last points of land before the open ocean.
Our first dive was at “White Patch”; this was a superb wall that
plunged to over 50 metres. We travelled along the wall swept along by a moderately
strong current. The wall was adorned by masses of white and yellow soft corals.
Several black-tipped reef sharks were sighted below us; a green turtle swam
up for a curious look. Fish life abounded along the wall and towards the end
of our dive the current swept us over a bare canyon-like depression in the reef
and here there were scores of huge Coral Trout marauding below at around 40
metres. Visibility on this dive was over 40 metres; this was blue, blue water.
Our second dive this day was at “The Fans”, this is another superb
dive site. There are two huge open caverns here along the edge of an undercut
island. Yellow gorgonian fans festoon the wall outside the second and larger
cavern, whilst delicate, white, soft coral covers the entrance walls and floor.
Outside of this cavern is a huge boulder, part of the island that had broken
away years ago. The top of this boulder is only 5 metres deep and is covered
by hundreds of anemones of various types and their attendant clown fish. A full
dive could be enjoyed just here in the shallows.
The weather was perfect for our next day of diving, and once again we ventured
out to the edge of the Pacific. Our first dive was along the wall of “Totokafonua”.
Ultimate blue water washed the wall, drawing our gaze out into “the big
blue”, for from here emanated “whale-song”, that haunting
refrain sung by the male Humpback Whales. This repeating song appeared to be
coming from so close that we all expected to see the Humpbacks swimming along
the wall. The “whale-song” was to be our constant companion on the
wall dives facing the open Pacific.
“Totokafonua” was a very good dive, white-tipped reef sharks circled
defensively in several small caves and pits, with small tuna and mackeral patrolling
the drop-off. It was photographers’ delight with the clearest water I
have ever experienced.
We next dived the wreck of the “Clan McWilliam”, a 140 metre long,
virtually intact steel freighter which sank upright in 40 metres of water in
1927. It is 27 metres to her deck. This is a very large shipwreck, with the
most interesting section from the mooring line at the stern to amidships. The
Wreck is overgrown with corals, including Goniopora displaying its dandelion-like
long necked polyps. Batfish as usual were in attendance; their affinity with
shipwrecks everywhere in the tropics, once again in evidence.
The forward section suffered extensive damage following the fire in her cargo
of copra that led to her demise. The “Clan McWilliam” is located
in the harbour at Neiafu and on the day that we dived on her the visibility
was around 5 metres. This is fairly normal, however on occasions visibility
can exceed 20 metres on the wreck. This was a very good wreck dive even in the
limited vis.
We also dived several sites at the island of Tu’ungasika, “The Canyons”
was a massive area of vertical walled hard coral fingers and trenches, each
canyon we explored lead to another and yet another all beckoning and inviting
further exploration. This was such an interesting dive. Everyone arrived back
on the boat with tales of seeing something different in their exploration.
Another section of Tu’ungasika has a great dive site “China Town”.
It is aptly named for the acres of pagoda-like Porite coral formations. There
were several bright red anemones providing homes for families of clown fish.
Dozens of large white cowries were scattered about, each with its jet-black
mantle protruding and partly enveloping the shell. Several sea kraits, black
and white banded sea snakes, hunted amongst the corals. Emperor Angel Fish,
schools of Surgeonfish, Harlequin or Clown Trigger Fish and clouds of fusiliers
inhabited the reef. Multi-hued tubeworms poked their collecting polyps out of
seemingly every stand of coral.
With over 50 islands in the Vava’u group there is so much to dive and
explore, including areas that have never been dived before.
Snorkeling with the
Whales:
Our trip to Vava’u was organised at this time of the year, for July through
October the Humpback Whales give birth and mate here in the sheltered waters
that surround the small islands that extend out from the main island of Vava’u.
A full day trip to snorkel with the Humpbacks is a must on a visit to Vava’u.
Vava’u in Tonga is one of only two places in the world where you are virtually
guaranteed the opportunity to snorkel with Humpback Whales.
It is so hard to put into words what an amazing experience this is.
We sighted our first Humpbacks, a mother and her calf, within ten minutes of
arriving at their favourite area. The pair put on a display of breaching and
pectoral fin slapping as we quietly approached. We let them get used to the
presence of our boat for a period, and then they curiously approached us.
Once they were comfortable being in close proximity to our boat we quietly,
four persons at a time slipped into the water and snorkeled over to them.
The calf swam up to us less than 2 metres away and inquisitively circled us,
establishing eye contact, puzzling what these puny critters were doing in his
realm. Mum would surface oh so carefully, rolling gently sideways to avoid brushing
us with her bulk, re-establish contact with her calf, then with her calf tucked
under her massive head she would slowly circle the group of snorkellers.
This whale / human interaction was entirely at the discretion of the whales.
They definitely were very curious about us and displayed great care and skill
in such a close quarter’s encounter. Fifty tonne of whale blundering about
can be detrimental to your health after all. I managed to free-dive down to
20 metres beside the pair and swim alongside them for a time with both mum and
her calf establishing eye contact. What a buzz!!!
Snorkeling with the whales was so unbelievably good we booked another day to
do it all again.
Our second day out with the whales was entirely different to our first encounters.
This time we were out in the deep ocean in the most amazing cobalt blue water
and we came upon a group of three-quarter grown adolescents.
There were ten Humpbacks in this pod, and after a typically adolescent display
of breaching, fin and tail slapping these 35 tonne youngsters settled down and
curiously approached our stationary vessel. It was then that we quietly slipped
into the water, four persons plus a guide at a time. The whales swam around
and under us to within three metres away. About one hundred Spinner Dolphins
accompanied them, a very rare occurrence according to our guides. The Spinner
Dolphins were riding the pectoral fins of the whales and to our delight and
amazement, one of the Humpbacks casually pushed aside one of the Spinner Dolphins
with its pectoral fin. This action was not aggressive at all; just a gentle
reminder perhaps that life is not always a “free ride”.
I free-dived down to around 15 metres and had two Humpbacks swimming ever so
slowly beside me on a parallel course less than 5 metres away. One of these
whales was so differently marked being almost entirely black, with just small
patches of white, he was strikingly different to all the other whales in the
pod, which all displayed large patches of white on their bodies and pectoral
fins.
I was intent on getting good photographs of these two whales, when I sensed
something on my other side, turning that way I discovered another of the whales
also swimming slowly on a parallel course to me only 4 metres away. I was so
in awe of the experience that when time came for me to surface, I realised that
I had descended to around 20 metres or so, gee it’s a long way back up
after such a period of excitement and some exertion.
The best place in
the Pacific:
All things considered, Vava’u is in my opinion the best diving and adventure
location in the Pacific. It has it all, superb diving in the clearest blue water,
very good dive operators with an excellent dive boat. No malaria, no insurrections,
no rascals, no crowds, cool nights, the friendliest people, good food, good
beer both at very reasonable prices and best of all the Humpback Whales.
Needless to say we are returning to Vava’u in Tonga next year.
The interest in experiencing all that we enjoyed in Tonga next year is such
that we are running two trips in 2003.
The trips in 2003 depart Sydney on Friday 8th August and Friday 19th September
for eight days, with optional extensions on both trips to eleven days. We will
enjoy eight or twelve boat dives, two full days snorkeling with the Humpback
Whales and all that Vava’u and Tonga has to offer.
Tour leaders David Hinshelwood and Ron Hunter will accompany the trips. Costs
for the trips are $2450 for the eight day adventure and $2790 for the eleven
days ex Sydney.
The trips suit non-diving partners as well, with so much to do and see in Vava’u
For more details contact Ron at Dive Forster at Fisherman’s Wharf
phone +61 02 6554 7478 or e-mail ron@diveforster.com.au