Tonga vs French Polynesia: Where to Swim with Humpback Whales (Updated 2024)
Three playful adult humpback whales swim with a free-diver in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
SWIMMING WITH HUMPBACK WHALES
Swimming with humpback whales is magical. They are sentient, playful, and imaginative— it is perhaps the most amazing oceanic experience I have had the fortune to experience. But before you book a flight to embark on this journey, it is crucial to do your research on where to go. Not just for the sake of your experience, but to also understand where regulations are best implemented for the sake of safety and comfort for the whales themselves.
This is most commonly going to come down between Tonga and French Polynesia. Both are in the South Pacific, both receive migrating Antarctic whales from around August to November, both allow for regulated whale swimming. Having spent significant time in both over the last four years, there are certainly pros and cons for each.
And to preface as well, whale swimming is typically a snorkeling experience. No crazy gear required besides your mask and fins. In fact, the bubbles from scuba gear actually spooks them. As long as you are comfortable swimming in the water this experience is 100% accessible for you.
In this guide, I’m going to break down the facts so you can better decide which destination is the right one for you to experience these magical marine mammals.
Looking to Swim with Humpbacks?
A whale and free-diver play with each other in Rurutu, French Polynesia.
FRENCH POLYNESIA— RURUTU & MO’OREA
Better known for its resorts, palm-fringed beaches and honeymooning couples, French Polynesia is also a prime destination for migrating humpback whales between August and November. Moorea, Tahiti, and the tiny island of Rurutu each receive significant numbers of temporary resident humpback whales.
Rurutu, on the other hand, is a tiny, stand-alone island in the Australs with a population of fewer than 2,500 people. It is one of the most traditional islands in French Polynesia, as most people speak Rurutuan, farm taro and vegetables, and line fish for a living.
Pros: Rurutu has been a major whale breeding favourite for centuries, as the island is one of the few in French Polynesia that is not surrounded by a motu (lagoon), rather, it’s blessed by a fringing reef. Rurutu, therefore, attracts pregnant mothers and other adult whales as a safe place to give birth and mate. The water is colder, but the clearest I’ve experienced in the last four years. There are only 4 boats in Rurutu that are certified to carry tourists, so unlike Vava’u, Moorea, Tahiti and other islands, swarms of tourists is not a problem in sleepy Rurutu. September, October and into November are particularly good months to go whale swimming in Rurutu, as the season starts later and ends later here due to the islands’ more southernly position.
Cons: Much like the other islands, Rurutu does not have much to do besides whale swimming. As the island is also surrounded by rocky cliffs and is not as developed for tourism, you will not find the same stunning bungalows or beaches that can be found on the other islands. This
Mo’orea is a popular tourist island just a short ferry ride from the main island of Tahiti, so while whale swims are far from being the only draw, they are common day trips for visitors.
Pros: The benefit of whale swimming in Moorea is crystal clear water, and, well the a simple fact that besides whale swimming there are a ton of other activities that you can do— snorkel with sharks and rays, look for dolphins and pilot whales, go on day hikes, explore beaches, and ride around the island on a bicycle or motorcycle.
Cons: The downside to whale swimming trips on Moorea is the number of tourists in the water. Unlike in Tonga where other whale watching boats must wait their turn before letting tourists off into the water, in Moorea and Tahiti there are no regulations in this regard, so you may end up with 40 tourists bobbing in the water around a whale after a few minutes.
Fin hugs in French Polynesia.
TONGA— VAVA’U
The Vava’u archipelago in northern Tonga is perhaps the famous place in the world for swimming with humpback whales— and for good reason. The islands form a natural nursery for migrating humpback whales between July and November, allowing them to raise their calves in peace. These calm waters attract enough whales to result in large heat runs, where adults compete for mating rights with females in heat.
Whales are the economy here, and outside aquatic activities and beaches, there is not much to do here. Like the rest of Tonga, everything shuts down completely on Sundays, as it’s actually illegal for businesses to operate on Sundays
Pros: The major benefit to Vava’u, Tonga is that government regulations only allow five people to be in the water at a time with the whales. So while boats have to line up in order to get into the water, which can take time and feel a bit inauthentic, this is still preferable to dumping tons tourists in the water like in Moorea, Tahiti and Mauritius. Boats generally will “switch” after 40 minutes to 1 hour of swimming, provided the whales want to stick around.
Cons: The downside is the pure economy of whale swimming tourism— as one of the most well-known destinations for this activity, Vava’u has nearly 50 whale watching boats all jostling for position with whales. In recent years the number of whales visiting Vava’u has declined, as has water clarity, which further increases pressure on boat captains to deliver results. Captains have resorted to radioing each other to notify other captains of whale sightings and allow them to “get in line” to let their visitors swim.
Other islands to consider in Tonga besides Vava’u are Ha’apai and Tongatapu. While these islands do not necessarily have the same allure of Vavau’s tropical lagoons and major whale swimming industry, they also attract whales as well and have far fewer whale watching boats in the water.
A massive pod of whales swims by during a heat run off the coast of Vava’u, Tonga.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS
Personally speaking as somebody that goes to these islands for the purpose of swimming with whales, I believe there is more value to be had in going to the less-visited islands, Rurutu in particular. One of the largest drawbacks to whale swimming comes from the sheer number of tourists vying for the chance to swim, and the lack of proper regulations in place to protect the whales.
With only four boats available on Rurutu, this means that you will never have too many people in the water at a time, but as they lack regulation to protect from over tourism, this is a future risk as more people discover Rurutu.
Whale swimming aside, for those looking to get the most out of their experience, I highly recommend that you try to immerse yourselves into Polynesian culture and connect with the locals. As stewards of the ocean, we can take inspiration from them in how we care for our planet and the majestic animals we are surrounded by. The ocean is a home, let’s be sure we keep it that way.
