There are few places in the world where this kind of mind and soul numbing encounter is possible. One such place lies in the warm waters of the South Pacific. We plan to visit Nandi during the prime time of year - August to October - when the magnificent humpback whales arrive from Antarctica for breeding, birthing and to nurse their young. At this time it is possible to observe the entire range of humpback whale behaviour, from mother and calf interaction and the competing behaviour of the mature humpback bulls, to breaching and tail slapping. It is impressive to see the juvenile whales practice breaching as they learn from the adult bulls. Even more impressive is the adult bull, usually around 12 metres long and forty tonnes, as it throws itself almost completely out of the water only to crash back down in a spectacular display of foam and spume to impress its female or scare away its competitors.

The expedition is limited to 14 guests to maximise the experience for every participant. Taking our cues from the great cetaceans themselves and from our experts’ accumulated knowledge of humpback whale behaviour, two guests at a time will slip quietly into the water to dive and photograph the whales. While the humpback whales are comfortable with our presence (free diving and snorkelling) encounters continue. Sometimes we dive or swim as close as 6 metres and with underwater visibility exceeding 30 metres the clear images are superb for photography.

There are several reasons why we will not be scuba-diving:

*Noisy bubbles from scuba will frighten most whales;
*Scuba tanks are heavy and often long runs are required for the boat to close in on the steadily advancing cetaceans. When a humpback whale proves cooperative it is important for the observers to enter the water quickly yet with stealth and agility;
*By snorkelling and free diving the expedition provides a rare opportunity for non-divers to join in … with a mask and a snorkel you will be able to see it all unfold below you.

A 7.5-metre semi-rigid inflatable powered by twin 215hp for six guests and a 13.7 metre catamaran for eight guests. Amanda and Kirk will coach free diving and breath-holding technique on one vessel and Amos will focus on underwater photography, lighting and composition on the second. After four days the leaders change vessels.

This itinerary is based on using Air New Zealand; you are free to make your own travel arrangements.

Fly to Fiji and connect with flight to Tonga (90 minutes) then fly to Vava’u where you will be met and transferred by water taxi to the secluded resort – Blue Lagoon.

9 days of whale watching, free diving, snorkeling and photography coaching.
We will be using a 22 ft semi-rigid inflatable powered by twin 80hp engines to get close to the whales. Our main goal is to have in-water encounters with Humpback Whales and Spinner Dolphins. All efforts will be aimed toward these remarkable moments. We will be in the boats every day for about six to eight hours for whale watching and in-water engagements. Although there are eleven days in this part of the schedule, we will have only nine days on the water.

Depart Blue Lagoon by water taxi for flights home.