About Humpback Whales
Humpback Whales
What time of year best suits me?
There is an assortment of whale activity and behaviour that occurs over the weeks during the mating season.
Heat Runs
Adolescents
Small Calves
Pregnant Mums
Juveniles
Mated Pair
Boisterous Calves
Singing Escorts
SO, what kind of Humpback Whale do you want to interact with?
We can't quite pinpoint the exact type of whale you are going to see, but according to previous years, we have an approximate guideline of the whales activity.
Late July - Early August
Heat Runs, Adolescents, Pregnant Mums & the first drop of very young calves
August
More New Calves, Singing Escorts, Mated Pairs
Late August & September
Older Boisterous Calves, Singing Escorts, Heatruns
Whaley cool terms...
Heat Runs
Once a mature female Humpback signals to the surrounding males that she may be ready to mate, she leads the race, letting the males compete and win the female's attention. There can often be up to 10 - 15 whales at a time, knocking into each other, traveling at high speeds and blowing bubbles, which can disorientate other rivals. When the guides drop us in the water at this time, the males are travelling through at some pace, however always thoughtfully manage to navigate around us snorkellers.Singing Escorts
Males often serenade the females or sing to compete with other males. It is often thought to be a way of locating the presence of other females. Being in the water while the male is close by, singing, is an extraordinary experience. The vibration through the body is an incredible feeling. These escorts are affectionately called "singers" by the Tongan guides. They can be heard kilometres away!Adolescents
are whales that are around 3 years old up to around 6 or 7. They are too young to breed (although they'd love to try) and too old to be with their mums. They often travel in squads (like human teenagers do). The interaction with these whales can be profound. They are usually grown up calves that have been around people in the past and for this reason, they are super curious. They often spy hop, mimic swimmer's movements, and circle the group. Adolescents are often referred to as "crazy whales" because of their boisterous inquisitive nature. Boisterous Calves
The older calves, often a few weeks old are quite inquisitive. Fumbling around and guaranteed to put on a show
Juveniles
12 months old, second season in Tonga with mum (and last) - she will kick the calf off on their way back to Antarctica (or once they arrive). Mated Pair
The victorious Bull Whale and the Cow in heat. These two aren't quite as social, and keep to themselves as a pair.Pregnant Mums
Soon to be mums are more placid (they're conserving energy), you will often see them "sailing", where their tail is just above or below the waters surface, catching some Z's, they are generally slower moving. They will usually have an escort (typically a non-pregnant female) ready to assist with the calving when the time comes. Head down, bum up is a good way to describe these gentle girls. They also hang down deep sometimes - at around the 10 - 15 metre mark. It's awesome when they come up every 20 minutes or so for a breath and a look around. Small Calves
Usually just born, or up to around 2 -3 weeks old, these calves are happy to snooze with mum and cautiously approach the swimmers. Often they aren't super agile like older calves and generally hang around mum's nose to help coordinate their breaths. The big advantage of these calves is that they can't hold their breath for very long, so they tend to spend a lot of time at the surface with mum. Many of the classic Mum + Calf photos are of young babies. 