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Wildiaries Swimming with Whales in Tonga

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25.01.2022 The Wildiaries, Tonga Whale Swims team has just completed its annual whale swim permit report and the numbers are interesting. We hope to share some insight from this report with our followers very soon. As part of our report to both the Australian and Tongan government, we also include our contributions to science. This season, in just two weeks, we were able to submit: 4 high quality humpback whale song hydrophone recordings, 1 false killer whale hydrophone recording and 3...6 high quality humpback whale fluke identification images. These contributions are submitted to three universities and the global citizen science project Happywhale. The aim is to contribute to the broader understanding of cetaceans in the South Pacific region. In addition to our whale swims and science activities, we also engaged in daily rubbish pick ups at sea and on islands. Well done to our guests who engaged in this thankless task. As always, our whale swim trips were conducted using a combination of known world's best practice, Tongan whale swim regulations and our own high level, self-imposed ethical standards. Image taken under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim licence.

25.01.2022 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com//whales-dolphins-cetac/

24.01.2022 A couple of very interesting papers were recently published including one a couple of days ago by Fiore et al, that reconfirm the effect of swimming with cow-calf Humpback Whales. While the key findings should come as no surprise really, it is great to have more evidence as it gives you a chance to understand how you can help minimise your impact when you choose to go to Tonga to swim with whales. https://swimmingwithwhales.com.au//the-impact-of-whale-swi #whaleswims University of Minnesota Plos One AUT - Auckland University of Technology #tongawhales David Donnelly

24.01.2022 A new study out today shows ... not surprisingly ... that whales react when efforts are made to put swimmers directly in their path. Whether this is cause for overall concern remains to be seen but it shows that swim operations arent really suitable in places where whales are simply swimming past. This study finds, again unsurprisingly, that boats have to travel faster and pose more of a threat when chasing a fast moving whale. Fact remains, swimming with whales isnt easy or even possible, except in specific circumstances. Everything else could arguably just be considered chasing.

22.01.2022 Another brilliant day in the Kingdom...guests wanted to go sightseeing and reef snorkelling on the west coast today. Following this, we moved to some whale swims with 5 adult and sub-adult whales which were great. After lunch we encountered a surface active sub-adult whale which our guests also swam with. Brown and Red-footed Boobies, flying fish (the latter Booby is a specialist feeding on them) and a Mahi Mahi were a few bonus sightings. Great day! Images taken under Austr...alian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim licence. #ethicalencounters #whaleswimstongatapu

21.01.2022 First validated False Killer Whales among the whale watching community here in Tongatapu! The weather continues to be spectacular, with hardly a breath of wind. When it's like this, we can often find other species, difficult to see when conditions are choppy. First off, the guests found a singing Humpback, tracked it and swam with it for 25 mins. Then a pod of False Killer Whales appeared!! We should stress, swimming with these types of whale shouldn't be expected or encourag...ed and we don't go searching for the chance. We got the swimmers out of the water quite soon in fact. These are species you don't want to become inquisitive as they are potentially dangerous predators - so this was a very special and unexpected privilege. Then later, we just happened to have Spinner Dolphins swim past while snorkelling on a reef. Amazing!! We recorded a second song type and even recorded the FKWs (sound to follow). Images and recordings gained under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim licence. Jones Travel & Tours Diverse Travel Australia Ultramarina Tourism Tonga Tourism Tonga Whale Swim & Dive Tours David Donnelly #tongatourism #whaleswims #whaleswimtonga

21.01.2022 During a 100-day, nearly 7,000-kilometer (3,800-nautical-mile) round-trip survey on a line between Hawaii and Mexico within the 2018 winter breeding season, humpback whale calls were heard in the mid-ocean basin, halfway between the known near-shore assemblies. "They're not 'supposed' to be there," said Dr. Jim Darling, Whale Trust biologist and project partner. http://www.lahainanews.com//Results-of-first-leg-of-Wave-G

20.01.2022 Third swim day into our time in the Kingdom of Tonga. Found a few cow calf pairs and got photo-ID shots for the researchers ... we bypass these for swims, leaving them that critical time for nursing. The whales pictured in this video approached the boat and took some curiosity in swimmers. A wonderful experience for everyone involved. Thanks to Elizabeth Moffat for the first clip : )

19.01.2022 A great example of why we employ well thought out, properly assessed, science-based ethical practices (including not swimming with cow/calf pairs) when engaging in whale swim activities. Incidents like this can and do happen.

19.01.2022 Hi, Tonga season is coming up and we're fully booked except for a couple of spots left on the departure 8 August. Anyone want to come? https://whaleswims.com.au//2018-expert-led-tonga-whale-swi

19.01.2022 It's time for us to bid a farewell to Tonga this year so if you want to travel with the most sustainable whale swim operation in Tonga, it's time to BOOK your 2019 trips NOW! We have already filled almost one and a half weeks. Contact us on [email protected] now.

19.01.2022 It's time to share this video again: https://youtu.be/AoF4l6F7vzE. It's a lovely short film that sensitively recounts how to whale watch responsibly.

18.01.2022 Whale calves cant breathe and nurse at the same time, so given the effort it takes for the calf to position itself underneath its mom to suckle, nursing events tend to be short. The milk is 45-60 percent fat, so even short nursing events allow the calf to grow. https://news.mongabay.com//baby-whale-wears-a-camera-reve/

18.01.2022 Skipper Dave failed today! He failed to press 'record' on a 24 minute SINGING HUMPBACK. We believe Dave has the honour of being the only operator in Tonga with a 100% success record of getting guests in the water with singers ... which our guests specifically asked for - and the whale even obliged by swimming past while singing. So as a consolation, here's one we made earlier. Maybe we can show you something new next time. https://youtu.be/pRWbFAlsYCk #whaleswims #tongawhales Tourism Tonga Jones Travel & Tours ZuBlu Juergen Freund Stella Chiu Freund Ultramarina David Donnelly #singingwhales #singinghumpback

18.01.2022 Some images from David Donnelly today from #Tonga. New guests arrived last night and it looks like they've already had a swim! As we continually point out, a 'great' swim can take 2-4 days so it's always good to get something under the belt from day one. As always, we're looking for the right whales to swim with, the ones that are a bit inquisitive, aren't really involved in breeding and on the other hand, aren't too overly-excited. Whale images taken under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim license.

17.01.2022 A week on Tongatapu is plenty of time to catch up with the whales but also enjoy the customary local hospitality of the 'Friendly Islands'. We often get asked this ... because it would be a shame to spend the entire time whale swimming when there is so much else to experience. Sunday, which is a religious day off on Tonga, is spent exploring Pangaimotou Island. One of the six other days when wind conditions are worst, we take a day off. Guests can enjoy a cultural tour of the... whole island or just explore. This week our guests were also invited to spend a bit of evening time for music and drinks in the company of one of our friends, who helps us with transfers. Other guests will sometimes arrive a day earlier or leave a day later which is chance to fit in a bit more. There's even the Tongan feast on Wednesday nights (a guest recently had his birthday there). So much to enjoy! See more

16.01.2022 Last day of an amazing week on the water for our guests. Today, David Donnelly had to force them to leave the water as our friend in the background gave everyone a very warm and hearty goodbye. Thank you to Ultramarina for your support and to everyone who came along. Thanks to Whale Swim & Dive Tours, Jones Travel & Tours, Diverse Travel Australia and Tourism Tonga for your support, advice and assistance. Next week's guests arrive tonight and we're sure the fun will continue. Image taken under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim licence. #whaleswims #tongawhales Stella Chiu Freund #whaleswimstongatapu

14.01.2022 CLICK THE PICTURE TO LISTEN Today our whale swim crew and guests got to spend almost an hour with singing humpback whales, accompanied by a sailfish! It's worth pointing out again, the animals we swim with are the ones that choose to. We apply (and in fact exceed) the Tonga whale swim regulations and have a written record of every encounter which we submit to authorities in Tonga and Australia. In these examples, the whales have come to us. We can prove, time and time again..., that it's not necessary to drive boats through or in front of competitive pods. If you allow the time to do things properly in fact, you get more sustained encounters and you experience things you wouldn't normally notice if you're in a rush. That's better for Tonga, better for the whales and provides a safer, more engaging and more privileged experience for the guests Images taken under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim licence. #ethicalwhaleswims #whaleswimstonga #whaleswims Jones Travel & Tours David Donnelly Tourism Tonga Dolphin Research Institute Ultramarina Diverse Travel Australia ZuBlu Stella Chiu Freund Juergen Freund Green Fins

14.01.2022 Have you booked your 2019 swim yet? We're a third full. One trip sold out, one two-thirds full. https://whaleswims.com.au/

13.01.2022 A fun first day off Tongatapu spent with singers. Guests also saw a large hawksbill turtle and explored the beautiful Malinoa Island. #whaleswimstongatapu #ethicalencounters #wildiaries

13.01.2022 This image is another that demonstrates why we don't interfere with cow calf pairs in Tonga. This calf was continually placing its pectoral fin on mum (look closely you can see the fin on her head). The cow was also lifting the calf to the surface with the calf rolling off her head. A perfect sensitive, bonding moment witnessed from the boat while drifting in neutral off Tau Island. Any attempt to swim with whales in this situation would result in interrupting this moment which, as we are sure everyone would agree, would be an awful thing to do ... not to mention the ethics of it. #ethicalwhaleswims #tongawhaleswims

12.01.2022 Thanks for your questions regarding "What is a high quality fluke identification image?" The simple answer to this question is: The image must show the entire ventral side of the fluke in an upright position with little to no angle, laterally or vertically. The image must be sharp and without obstruction eg; no splashing or waves masking the fluke pattering. Finally, the image should not be too backlit (sun behind the fluke). Here is an example of a close to perfect fluke identification image taken last season, under Australian Commonwealth permit. Note; Not all fluke identification images need to be perfect but they must pass certain criteria if they are to be accepted into the South Pacific catalogue.

12.01.2022 Tongatapu turned it on today...flat calm seas, clear sunny skies and a multitude of activity. Humpback whales, melon-headed whales and Fraser's dolphins were in a large multi-species group totalling over 120 animals....amazing to see! A quick encounter with false killer whales was the icing on the cake on our trek home. Thanks to our brilliant in-water guide Ivan Breslauer for the safe management of our guests! Stella Chiu Freund

11.01.2022 A big part of being a truly ethical and highly professional whale swim tour leader is knowing your craft. Using what you learn to improve your service for guests and also improve animal welfare practices is crucial. This is why we collect fine scale information on all of our encounters with whales. Using this information, combined with the latest in scientific understanding, we are able to show what it takes to achieve great whale swim experiences, while at the same time, ens...uring our impact on the animals is minimal. One key outcome from these learnings has been our decision to exclude cow/calf pairs from our whale swim activities. Here's a peak at what this season's data looked like. Days at sea: 10 Kilometres travelled: 917 No. of encounters with cetaceans: 72 Hours with whales: 25 Hours in the water with whales: 9 Number of cetacean species': 3 Estimated number of individual cetaceans encountered: 169 All activities reported on here were initiated under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim licence.

09.01.2022 There is a lot of talk about swims being 'on the whales terms' but in our experience, that only happens occasionally. For the rest of the time, it's a matter of being as respectful as possible. On almost every tour we do, we end up with an encounter like the one shown here. However, that poses another issue ... Tonga rightly has strict safety regulations and we also measure whale behaviour on a scale to ensure we don't approach animals that are involved in behaviour that may ...pose a risk to our guests. Yes Humpback Whales are spatially aware ... but they are also mammals and like us, are not perfect. This encounter from last week was very special and is a great example of where the whales really did perform on their terms, so much so, our guides were quite busy managing the guests to ensure the whales didn't get too close (because there is no stopping them). But let's be honest, everyone had a smile on their face after this encounter and it's pretty clear the whales were not interrupted, at least not without wanting to be. For interest, we encountered whales every day out of five and this was the only time during the entire week this happened. Only by being patient do we get the opportunity to have these happen, without the need to put pressure on cow-calf pairs (which we don't swim with) or other animals that would prefer to go about their lives unimpeded. Thank you Robyn Thomson for the lovely GoPro footage : )

09.01.2022 We thought it worth posting a quick update on why we don't swim with cow-calf pairs in Tonga. It's the cumulative impact that can be the problem. As stated in this article "... shortened time with its mom could ultimately weaken the calf, which needs to drink 50 gallons of milk a day to fuel up for its long migration". https://news.nationalgeographic.com//whales-animals-world/ There is a growing body of evidence that disturbance from swims affects calves. While proving abs...olute mortality impacts is hard, the emphasis needs to be on cumulative effects (no amount of mitigation at the operator level will change this). The resting areas for newborn calves are generally well-known (sheltered waters) and when they become the target for numerous swim operators, it comes out as high risk in any environmental risk assessment for obvious reasons. So the latest industry codes of conduct, such as the one created by World Cetacean Alliance, which involved a global consensus of operators, is that swimming calves should not be done. Further, we've shown in Tonga, that's it's unnecessary. We get longer, more sustained and diverse encounters, safely and without impacting population health, by deliberately avoiding cow-calf pairs. Further still, guests almost always communicate some sense of guilt or doubt about whether what they are doing is right. The result of operating to international standards and limiting the effect on calves when they are at their most sensitive newborn stage, means guests get a more enjoyable experience and increasingly people are actively searching for this level of commitment from operators. #whales #ethical #whaleswims #tonga

07.01.2022 As a case example, these were the two whales from the day before AFTER we removed the guests from the water - just a precaution, because these 15 tonne youngsters were beginning to get a bit over-confident and playful - it's a bit like when an adolescent puppy starts to get a bit excited, you know it's time for a calm down. Don't they look cute though! Image taken under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim license.

07.01.2022 One week out from our first trip of the season and we couldn't be more excited. This year, we with our partners Jones Travel & Tours, will again be delivering safe and ethical whale swim opportunities out of Tongatapu. Recent scientific publications have reinforced our policy of not swimming with cow/calf pairs. The practice of engaging these sensitive pods poses threats to these animals at the most crucial stage of the calf's life. It is our intention to continue to lead the way in evidence-based, ethical whale swim tourism. #ethicalencounters #whaleswimstongatapu

05.01.2022 We're open for bookings for 2019 and the weeks are already filling up. Visit the site now and register your interest and don't miss out! http://whaleswims.com.au/

05.01.2022 Day two in Tonga for our guests with David Donnelly and today "four whales hanging around for 90 minutes (our self-imposed maximum time), the guests pretty much packed it in at 1pm" ... presumably to head home for celebratory drinks Two of our guests on this trip came all the way from France, care of our friends at Ultramarina who we are super-excited to be working with. As always, our tours are done with the utmost care and attention to the safety of people and whales. Exp...eriences like this happen even though we don't swim with cow-calf pairs. Images taken under Australian Commonwealth permit and Tongan whale swim license. #whaleswims #tongawhales #ethicalencounters #whaleswimstongatapu Tourism Tonga Whale Swim & Dive Tours Jones Travel & Tours Tonga Camila Jaber Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme - SPREP Adam Mustoe, Freediver ZuBlu Juergen Freund Stella Chiu Freund Diverse Travel Australia

04.01.2022 Something a little bit different for today. Guests like to know where they stay on tours with us. Well, we have this lovely guesthouse 'Utu'one Bed and Breakfast that has an attached restaurant and is a few minutes from the harbour. The food is lovely. Here's dinner set up for our guests this week. #whaleswims #tongawhales Jones Travel & Tours ZuBlu Stella Chiu Freund Ultramarina #singingwhales #singinghumpback

03.01.2022 Sigh ... we're days into the whale season in Tonga and already on almost a daily basis, there are accounts that celebrate the proximity and disturbance to cow-calf pairs. Maybe guests don't realise ... there is the sense in this post, that they might have had an inkling ... and the industry needs to be doing more. Apart from the obvious implications for calf development, migration, survival and future breeding fitness, it's extremely unsafe. Injuries to swimmers are become a regular event now in Tonga. If people knew how dangerous this was, perhaps they would be more cautious. And apart from the impact on the animals and swimmers, it's not a great way to respect Tonga, its people and wildlife. Whale swims are an important economic driver and done well, help this South Pacific nation prosper. What does everyone else think?

02.01.2022 We are open for bookings now in 2019. We've already sold about one and a half weeks. Head online now, just a $500 deposit and a spot's yours for next year ; ) https://whaleswims.com.au/

02.01.2022 Eruption in Tonga connects coral reefs with Australia ; )