It’s been quite a week, starting off with awful weather, followed by some of the best weather of the season, then by foul conditions again…talk about volatility. Fortunately, however, the best weather coincided with the days I was out on the water, while the worst fell on the days I was land-bound…talk about good timing!
Besides [...]
I’m putting together my schedule for next year in Tonga.
For the past several years, I’ve worked with my friend Takaji to organise trips here, which have been filled almost exclusively by travellers from Japan. Usually, we set out a schedule for the following year while we’re still in Tonga, and within a few weeks [...]
Lots of wind, few whales, more calfs. That, in short, best characterises this past week.
After the Full Moon Party
One observation that I’ve heard consistently from my friends here is that the whales disappear around full moon. I have to admit I was sceptical about this for a long time, but the more time I spend [...]
Craig Jones sent me a few questions about manual focus for macro ports. The airlines lost his gear (what a bummer!), so he’s building his underwater camera system up from scratch. He’s used both Canon and Nikon systems, but he really likes the Nikon 70-180mm zoom macro, which is why he’s leaning to Nikon (though [...]
Executive summary for the week: Winds, weather, water and whales all improved, but developing quality encounters with whales is still relatively difficult.
Toward the latter part of the week, some of the activity that moved offshore last week seems to have returned to the waters around the islands, with an increase in calf sightings, heat [...]
Current status of the whales in Tonga: The boys are horny; the girls are either hitched, taking care of kids or driving boys crazy; the kids are oblivious and enjoying themselves.
That, in brief, is a fairly accurate summary of what’s going on. Not surprising if you think about it, but not as straightforward to pick [...]
It’s Tuesday morning here in Tonga, and I’m preparing to head out on the water for the first time this year.
In contrast to last season, there are many positive omens. The weather seems stable (though the wind has picked up a bit), everyone I’ve spoken with has had spotted whales and had good interaction. [...]
This is something new in Tonga: Coca Cola tailored for Tonga, launched perhaps a month or so ago.
The can says “The Coke side of Tonga” as well as “Ifo Atu”. As far as I can gather, the term “Ifo Atu” is not actually used in Tongan, but it’s a mishmash of terms that’s intended to [...]
Well, I made it. Door-to-door, the journey took 51 hours…comprising four flights, four bus/ van rides, two inflight movies, three decent inflight meals plus one sucky one, and 24 hours of combined layover time. Sleep-to-sleep, the trip took 84 hours (with a few nod-offs along the way). Who said travel isn’t fun?
Though is was a [...]
This is how my friend Takaji and I spent most of our 14-hour layover in Auckland. Fortunately, we both have access to the Air New Zealand lounge, which has a good Wifi connection, snacks throughout the day, and a surplus of coffee.
My best friend is gone. At around 05:30 on 31 July (Thursday), Pasta passed away.
I got Pasta when she was about 3 months old. I wasn’t planning on getting her. In fact, I didn’t so much get her, as she “chose” me. When I saw her, she was just a tiny fluffball. When she [...]
