Freediving cameraman with humpbacks

[HareBrain]

BBC iPlayer - Life: Mammals

Watch the last ten minutes, the "making of" section. Astonishing. And (pertinent to this site) probably about the most beautiful "sci-fi" imagery I've ever seen. The whales could be alien bio-ships flying through outer space - cliche I know (anyway I'm more a fantasy reader) but it's never hit me like this before.

Now I've got to find out what I need to do to have that experience myself!

 

[skeptical]

HareBrain

The humpback experience can be achieved in Tonga. The time is August to October. There are several commercial operations taking people out in boats, from where they can slip into the water and snorkel with humpbacks. eg. http://www.divevavau.com/
http://www.naia.com.fj/tonga/index.html http://www.whaleswim.com/

Sadly, other countries with good humpback numbers (like Australia) generally have ridiculous laws making it illegal to swim with those wonderful whales. A few third world countries permit it. I have personally snorkelled with humpback whales in both Tonga and Niue.

I have not done Tonga for many years, but a friend who just returned had an underwater video he took of whales within one metre of him, and showing a calf suckling right in front of his camera. Apparently the whales are getting so acclimated to divers, they have lost all fear. As long as the divers remain friendly and do not hassle the whales, this should only get better.

 

[Drachir]

HareBrain

The humpback experience can be achieved in Tonga. The time is August to October. There are several commercial operations taking people out in boats, from where they can slip into the water and snorkel with humpbacks. eg. Dive Vava'u: Kingdom of Tonga - Humpback Whale Watching and Diving with Certified Divers - Vacation of a Lifetime.
Humpback Whale Watching in Tonga - NAI'A Liveaboard Whaleswim Adventures - Swim with whales in Tonga. All inclusive tour packages

Sadly, other countries with good humpback numbers (like Australia) generally have ridiculous laws making it illegal to swim with those wonderful whales. A few third world countries permit it. I have personally snorkelled with humpback whales in both Tonga and Niue.

I have not done Tonga for many years, but a friend who just returned had an underwater video he took of whales within one metre of him, and showing a calf suckling right in front of his camera. Apparently the whales are getting so acclimated to divers, they have lost all fear. As long as the divers remain friendly and do not hassle the whales, this should only get better.

Sounds like a pretty fantastic experience. It is unfortunate that all people cannot experience it.

 

[HareBrain]

As long as the divers remain friendly and do not hassle the whales, this could only get better.

Unfortunately hassling often takes place, and I think a ban on this should be strictly enforced rather than being in the water with the animals altogether. I've seen film of a whale shark being driven away by hordes of snorkellers trying to touch it, and I've witnessed the same thing happening to a dugong (which I spent a wonderful ten minutes freediving with alone before everyone else found it and drove it off). It's very upsetting seeing an animal being driven away from its feeding grounds by people trying to grope it. I understand why they want to, but this means better education and control is necessary.

Thanks for the link. If I ever get enough money to go to Tonga, I'll check it out.

 

[skeptical]

HareBrain

You are correct about the idiots hassling whales etc. A lot of this is education. And the way the diver operators run their business. However, it is also sometimes problematic how important such controls are.

I have snorkelled with a whale shark. Off Exmouth in Western Australia. I had about 20 minutes almost alone with it, because all the other snorkellers were fat and unfit and got exhausted. The whale shark does not stop swimming and you have to swim to keep up, while quickly eliminates the unfit. The operators laid down the rules before anyone got in the water, and they had a dive guide in the water as well to ensure everyone behaved.

I have snorkelled with dwarf Mincke Whales off Cairns in Queensland, Australia. Very tightly controlled by the operators. We all had to stay on the surface and hold onto ropes. I suspect the real reason was not to avoid hassling the whales, but to keep the divers close to the boat where they could be watched. I often wonder how important those controls are, from the whale viewpoint.

I have also snorkelled with a dwarf Mincke whale in South Minerva Reef with no controls at all. About 10 divers snorkelling with it, and the whale seemed to enjoy every minute of it, following us around.

Here in New Zealand, I have snorkelled with three species of dolphin (and a fourth in PNG), and with fur seals. There is no indication that they were at all stressed. It is a big, big ocean, and they can swim away from divers if they wish.

The humpback whales in Tonga do not seem to be hassled, since they are becoming more and more friendly. I think they have learned that the divers will not harm them or their calves. I think that this outcome is way cool!

 

[HareBrain]

Wow, I am envious.

You're probably right about the whale sharks - the experience of seeing all those people jumping in after it might well be more distressing for oversensitive humans like me than for the animal itself, in that case. With the dugong it was more problematic because it wanted to feed on the sea-grass, and that small bay was I think the only place it could do so within a reasonable distance.

I've love to freedive with fur seals - someone on another forum described the experience as like being in a roomful of flying puppies! I've briefly snorkelled with sealions in galapagos, but that came to an end when a big bull swam right under me, baring his teeth. Obviously wanted us away from his harem, and the thought of ignoring his wishes didn't cross my mind for an instant.

Holding onto ropes sounds excessive, and I would have found that incredibly frustrating. And as you suggest, it probably deprives the whales of some fun too. I've been with a pod of wild spinner dolphins in the Red Sea, in an area where no scuba divers or boats were allowed, which was fantastic. But I now read that they've tightened up the controls so that you're no longer allowed to dive below the surface, which was something the dolphins seemed to find interesting, clumsy humans trying to mimic them!

 

[skeptical]

HareBrain

Totally agree with you.
I snorkelled on a commercial 'swim with the dolphins' trip with dusky dolphins off Kaikoura here in New Zealand, and experimented by swimming underwater using dolphin kick. When back on the boat, the other swimmers complained that I had attracted all the dolphins away from them. They were fascinated with a clumsy human swimming their way.

Don't feel envious of my experiences. I am an old ******* (60) and have been diving for 44 years. This gave me lots of chances to do wonderful things, and I have not neglected those opportunities. You are probably younger, and have lots of time to catch up.