One of the best things about travelling constantly is becoming friends with fun and interesting people from all over the world.
Recently, Kevin and Lucy journeyed from Beijing to join us in Tonga for their first experience with humpback whales. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but when they arrived, I realised that they [...]
At the end of another week in Tonga, the weather is crappy again. Winds are at over 30 knots, the sky is grey, and the air feels heavy…as if storms are just over the horizon.
It’s a stark contrast to the start of the week, when the strong winds that have been plaguing us all season [...]
The big news this week is that Alex has a new home. Hurray!
Alex, as you might recall, is the beautiful male golden retriever that was abandoned by people from Beluga Diving.
Early this morning, Tim, who’s from the UK and is opening a new resort here called The Reef Resort soon with his partner Theresa, dropped [...]
Perspective is an editorial column I write regularly for FiNS Magazine. This installment is entitled “Tired Out”.
Right click here to download the PDF file (92 kB).
The PDF file is also available as a download from my iTunes podcast.
People always seem to be looking for innovative and fun new ways of keeping fit.
Based on my experiences over the past few days, I’ve come up with a new fitness and weight-control programme that’s bound to outdo Atkins and all those fad diet plans.
The basic steps are:
Wake up, eat as much of anything as [...]
This morning, my snorkel snapped…literally. Broke right in two, just above the point where I had reinforced the crack with electrician’s tape.
Upon closer examination, it became clear that the taped area had actually held firm. The snorkel broke in an entirely different place.
The snorkel wasn’t all that old…perhaps three years or so…but within a [...]
Takaji took this photo of me in Swallows Cave. It was a sunny day, and the people on our boats were snorkelling in and around the cave.
At one point, I dived down to the bottom, around 20 metres or so, to take a look around and check out the photo angles. I was hoping [...]
So much has happened in the past several days that it’s difficult to know where to begin.
The first group of visitors from Japan who came to swim with the whales with my friend Takaji and me has come and gone, and a second group is due to arrive soon. Arranging all the logistics is [...]
The winds have been relatively strong since we arrived, meaning that the seas have been choppy, and blows from whales difficult to spot. This also means that some areas are inaccessible on certain days, depending on the direction of the wind. Fortunately however, barring truly horrible weather, there are almost always areas that are accessible [...]
Recall that on my journey to Tonga the kind authorities in New Zealand confiscated my superglue, on the notion that somehow superglue in my hands is a lethal weapon. Drats…I failed to conceal my top-secret training in international subterfuge.
Anyway, since arriving in Tonga, my sunglasses have broken. I tried melting the plastic frame back together [...]
Yesterday, we found Hina Hina again. I’m happy to report that Hina Hina is doing extremely well, just as playful and energetic as when we first found the little whale.
We spotted the baby and mom in an area with relatively poor visibility, so although we swam with the pair, I didn’t take any underwater photos, [...]
On the way to dinner, I came across another adorable puppy, happily flopping around on the grass, obviously not yet in full control of all of its legs. On more than a few occasions, an energetic pounce didn’t go precisely as planned, and the puppy ended up face-first, gangly limbs asunder, in the turf.
Undeterred, said [...]
