Dancing With Whales

We've all heard about whalewatching from boats orinvolving tourists seems to be only a matter of time.
shore, and a few companies are now offering theMost whale encounters occur in deep waters where
possibility of actually swimming and snorkeling withunperceived currents and wave action can soon tire
whales in the wild. Is this a good thing?a snorkeler and possibly lead to panic. For these
Some whalewatching operators in the Kingdom ofreasons, responsible whalewatching companies like
Tonga, South Pacific islands, advertise the possibilityWhale Discoveries do not offer snorkeling with
of swimming and snorkeling with humpback whaleswhales.
during the cetacean's annual migration from July toOf course, the demand is there, and pressure has
October. This activity sounds appealing, yet there arecome to bear on the Tongan Government to revise
a number of things to consider.its guidelines to allow boats to come within 10 meters
To drop clients off within snorkeling distance of aof a whale. Several new whalewatching licenses have
whale, the swim boats must come closer than the 30been issued recently, raising the number of
meters laid down in Tongan government guidelines incommercial operators in this small area to about a
1997. Engine noise from a maneuvering boat candozen, and vessels often have to queue to drop off
startle a whale, and repeated disturbances can leadswimmers. Cases have been observed of boats
to the animals changing their behaviour and evenapproaching to within five meters of whale pods, and
abandoning their traditional habitat. The nursing andof mother humpbacks and calves being pursued out
resting routines of the pods can be disrupted,to sea.
potentially threatening the health of the whales.Visitors should be aware that by purchasing such an
This high-risk activity is not covered by most travelexcursion, they could be adversely affecting the
insurance policies. The humpback whales of Tonganoble creatures they came to see. It's a good idea to
are wild animals with powerful fins, and swimmingdiscuss these matters with the operator before
near one always involves some risk. The movementsbooking your trip, and to avoid those who seem
of these huge creatures can be fatal to a humanmost interested in maximizing their own profits at the
swimmer, either accidentally or if the beast feelsexpense of the whales.
threatened, and a nursing mother with calf can beEven if you decide to book such a tour, be aware
especially unpredictable. Swimming into the path of athat only 10 percent of swim-with attempts are
whale greatly increases the danger.successful and there are no refunds. These concerns
In Tonga, sharks are known to frequent areasonly apply to attempts to actually swim with whales,
where there are whales, especially calves, and atand whalewatching from a boat at a safe distance is
least one shark attack on a Tongan guide swimmingno problem.
with whales has been recorded. A tragic accident