Tofua, Tonga
In the middle of the night we arrived in Tongan waters, passing over the Tongan trench with depths approaching 31,000 feet deep. This is an area where the Pacific plate is being shoved under the Indo-Australian plate, thus creating the deep trench and the active volcanic areas that would be our area of exploration for the day. At first light we were near the Ha’apai group of islands, and before the morning wake up call, we spotted a few humpback whales. The captain brought the ship slowly closer and soon we had two whales frolicking within only a few feet of the bow. These humpbacks spend their summer months in Antarctic waters feeding and come to the warm, sheltered waters of Tonga to reproduce. The two whales we were watching appeared to be in some sort of social interaction, as there was much rolling, tail lifting, and pectoral fin slapping. A few breaches were observed and a synchronized fluke raising was certainly a crowd favorite.
The afternoon was spent around the active volcanic island of Tofua. As we arrived we noticed smoke rising from various small brushfires on the island, probably created by recent volcanic activity. Our first plan of attack was to explore the underwater world, whether by scuba diving, snorkeling or glass bottom boat. The area was fascinating as the bottom was covered in black sand and large volcanic boulders, and a sprinkling of new coral growth. These areas were filled with a great diversity of fish. As we head west on this expedition, the diversity of marine critters increases, and many new colorful species were observed.
As the day progressed, we next chose to explore above the water, either by kayak or Zodiac. We cruised along the volcanic cliffs, dotted with caves and crevices to explore. The brushfire seemed to increase and created a stunning scene as the sun began to set. Brown boobies were roosting on the cliffs and many smaller birds were observed including collared kingfishers and polynesian trillers. One unusual sighting was a cape petrel, perhaps the first sighting in Tonga of this usually southern species. We spent sunset on the deck with a moon rising above the caldera of Tofua, and the glow of the fires lighting the slopes. Surely, a fantastic first day in the kingdom of Tonga.
In the middle of the night we arrived in Tongan waters, passing over the Tongan trench with depths approaching 31,000 feet deep. This is an area where the Pacific plate is being shoved under the Indo-Australian plate, thus creating the deep trench and the active volcanic areas that would be our area of exploration for the day. At first light we were near the Ha’apai group of islands, and before the morning wake up call, we spotted a few humpback whales. The captain brought the ship slowly closer and soon we had two whales frolicking within only a few feet of the bow. These humpbacks spend their summer months in Antarctic waters feeding and come to the warm, sheltered waters of Tonga to reproduce. The two whales we were watching appeared to be in some sort of social interaction, as there was much rolling, tail lifting, and pectoral fin slapping. A few breaches were observed and a synchronized fluke raising was certainly a crowd favorite.
The afternoon was spent around the active volcanic island of Tofua. As we arrived we noticed smoke rising from various small brushfires on the island, probably created by recent volcanic activity. Our first plan of attack was to explore the underwater world, whether by scuba diving, snorkeling or glass bottom boat. The area was fascinating as the bottom was covered in black sand and large volcanic boulders, and a sprinkling of new coral growth. These areas were filled with a great diversity of fish. As we head west on this expedition, the diversity of marine critters increases, and many new colorful species were observed.
As the day progressed, we next chose to explore above the water, either by kayak or Zodiac. We cruised along the volcanic cliffs, dotted with caves and crevices to explore. The brushfire seemed to increase and created a stunning scene as the sun began to set. Brown boobies were roosting on the cliffs and many smaller birds were observed including collared kingfishers and polynesian trillers. One unusual sighting was a cape petrel, perhaps the first sighting in Tonga of this usually southern species. We spent sunset on the deck with a moon rising above the caldera of Tofua, and the glow of the fires lighting the slopes. Surely, a fantastic first day in the kingdom of Tonga.
