Swimming With Gentle Giants

The relatively short whale season runs from July to end of October​.  During this time visitors will have the chance to see where they have their babies in the sheltered waters, Witness the huge ariel displays and explosive heat runs (pre mating behavior), and  Listen to the males sing their haunting song. Visitors come away with a deeper respect and knowledge of the whales. after they mate and calf in the tongan waters, they take the long journey back to antarctica.

Allan Bowe the designer of Mounu Island pioneered whale swimming in the Kingdom in 1993.  His passion for Whales and their wellbeing has been carried on by his daughter, kirsty who currently manages mounu island.

if you’re lucky, you’ll see whales within 50m from mounu Island!

Sustainable Whale Encounters

Whilst whale swims and encounters are absolutely incredible and life changing - our focus at Mounu is to deliver this sustainably, without adding pressure onto the whales whilst they are here mating and calving. Vava'u, faces several challenges when it comes to whale watching, particularly increased pressure from inexperienced operators.

Maintaining these licenses requires strict adherence to Tongan whale-watching regulations, which are designed to keep us safe and protect the whales well-being. We ask you, as a tourist to carefully select your company and act as an advocate for the protection of the whales. Please read below on basic regulation info.   Report badly behaved operators to the Ministry of Tourism.

We have two great boats at mounu. Both are outfitted for easy access in and out of the water, toilet, comfortable seating, shelter from weather and top viewing platform. our guides and skippers are highly trained have years of experience.

Guidelines for Whale Watching Operators in Tonga

Distance and Approach

  • Maintain a minimum distance of 100 meters (328 feet) from the whales.

  • Approach whales from the side, moving parallel to their direction of travel, and should never approach head-on or from behind.

Swim With Whales Rules

  • Max of 4 swimmers and one guide are allowed in the water at a time with the whales.

  • Maintain a minimum distance of 10 meters (33 feet) from the whales.

  • Swimmers are prohibited from diving beneath the whale or chasing it.

Whale Behavior

  • Operators recognize signs of whale distress or discomfort. If a whale shows signs of stress (e.g., tail slapping, erratic movement, or diving suddenly), the boat or swimmers must leave the area.

  • If there is a mother with a calf, extra caution is required, and interaction times are often shorter!

Time Limits

  • Whale-watching encounters are limited to a maximum duration of 90 minutes to reduce stress on the animals.

  • Only two vessels are allowed near a group of whales at any one time to avoid overcrowding.

  • No queuing and hounding whales.