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Blue Water Retreat Eua 🐋

@bwr.eua

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🐋 Whale Swims
🦈 Shark Dives
🎣 Sportfishing
🚌 Guided Land Tours
🏝️Ocean Front Accommodation
🍣 Licensed Restaurant
🇹🇴 Eua Island, Tonga

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How young is too young to swim with whales? We get this question all the time- and the truth is, it all depends on the kid’s water confidence and experience. Our youngest whale swimmer, Richard, was just 5 years old when he joined the family in the water by @bwr.eua

Every tour at Blue Water Retreat is designed with conservation in mind. Our strict guidelines ensure that each encounter respects these magnificent creatures.

#BlueWaterRetreat #HumpbackWhales #OceanGiants #MarineBiology #WildEncounters by @bwr.eua

Serving twirls, spins, and serious main character energy. 😌🐋 This little calf knows how to steal the spotlight! Who else is obsessed with baby whale dance moves? 🤩

Disclaimer: Video has been cropped for framing purposes.

#WhaleBallet #MainCharacterEnergy #DancingCalf #HumpbackWhales #BlueWaterRetreat #OceanGiants #WildAndFree” by @bwr.eua

It is difficult to understand the scale of an ʻOvava tree until there are people standing among its roots.

This is one of the stops that takes a day on ʻEua well beyond the coastline. The roots turn into walls, pathways and excellent places for a group to disappear into the frame.

Whales may bring many guests to the island, but the land has a habit of becoming one of the stories they take home.

Photos: @phish.by.hannah by @bwr.eua

This is the part of a humpback we do not normally get to see from the surface.

The long grooves along the underside are called ventral pleats. They allow the throat area to expand when the whale takes in food and seawater. From the boat, that whole structure is usually hidden below us.

Underwater, the whale suddenly makes much more anatomical sense. It also looks even larger than it did at the surface.

Photo: @phish.by.hannah by @bwr.eua

The final days of whale season here in ʻEua have brought some beautiful, quiet encounters with mothers and calves.

This mother spent long periods logging at the surface, sometimes for ten minutes at a time, before descending to rest below.

Her calf stayed close, occasionally returning to the surface for a breath before heading back down to mum.

And then we witnessed something we rarely get to observe so clearly. A calf nursing.

While nursing is a normal part of a young humpback’s life, it’s not something we often get to see underwater.

With the season drawing to a close, it’s been lovely to spend these last few days observing the slower rhythms of mothers and calves in the waters around ʻEua. by @bwr.eua

October, you keep surprising us. 🐋

It’s our second last day of the whale season here on ʻEua, and we’re still having encounters like this.

What we initially thought were two humpbacks turned out to be EIGHT, all passing by together.

Throughout the day, we encountered groups of up to 12 whales.

This season has been far less predictable than previous years, with plenty of quieter days and some incredible moments in between.

As we approach the end of another season, we’re feeling pretty grateful that we get to call this little corner of the ocean our backyard. 💙 by @bwr.eua

A tail slap is one of those whale behaviours you hear as much as you see.

The flukes come down hard against the surface and the crack carries across the water. On a quiet boat, everyone turns at once. Usually, they are just in time to see the spray rather than the slap itself.

We can describe the sound and the behaviour. We cannot say exactly why this whale did it without the wider encounter context.

Photo: @phish.by.hannah by @bwr.eua

My most exhilarating whale swim ever guiding for @bwr.eua

counted 21 whales in total with many more following. Being surrounded and vortex at times was an experience and high i will never forget.

#whaleswim #humpbackwhale #islandlife #oceanlife by @bwr.eua

Calves spend a lot of time near the surface for a very practical reason: they need to breathe more often than their mothers.

During an encounter, a mother may remain deeper while her calf surfaces, changes direction or moves around her. One thing our guides watch is whether the pair stays settled or starts to move away.

A mother and calf do not need help from us. They need enough space to make their own decisions.

Design: @phish.by.hannah by @bwr.eua

This is an encounter we will not forget in a hurry.

This photograph shows the two humpbacks we could see at the surface. There were another six below.

Eight whales, one patch of ocean, and a boat full of people trying to work out where to look first.

Photo: @phish.by.hannah by @bwr.eua

The journey to Tonga is long, and that is part of what makes the season feel so humbling.

These whales arrive after moving through huge stretches of ocean. By the time we see them here, we are meeting just one small part of a much bigger rhythm.

Design: @phish.by.hannah by @bwr.eua