Fonufo’ou and Tofua, Kingdom of Tonga
After an overnight passage from Vatoa, Fiji, we arrived in a new country this morning. Our first stop in Tonga was a true expedition stop – the island of Fonfo’ou (‘New Land’ or Falcon Island). An active volcanic sea mount, this sometimes island has emerged above the waves at least five times in the past 120 years. At other times it is a submerged reef, and as we approached this morning we had little idea what we would find. We discovered that Fonufo’ou is currently a reef, just breaking the surface at times. We dispatched our Undersea Specialist to dive on the reef and his report of corals and marine life on the reef indicated that there has been little or no volcanic activity in the past decade or more.
Meanwhile, the rest of us were whale watching from the deck. The seas around the Kingdom of Tonga are well known for their population of humpback whales, present in the Austral winter when the whales migrate here to breed from their rich summer feeding grounds in Antarctica. It was difficult to know just how many whales were present as at times it seemed there were whales in all directions.
We then relocated to the island of Tofua – close to the location where the mutiny on HMS Bounty occurred. The afternoon was spent snorkeling or diving, or taking a scenic Zodiac cruise along the cliffs of this active volcano. The Zodiac cruisers were diverted from the attractions of Tofua by the appearance of humpback whales close inshore, which gave our second opportunity today to obtain excellent views of these graceful animals.
Later in the evening after a fine deck barbeque we retired to the lounge to see some further exploration of the undersea realm, courtesy of our Remote Operated Vehicle. Piloted to a depth of about 400 feet by our Undersea Specialist we had a chance to see a little known and rarely seen part of our planet from the comfort of the lounge with a drink in hand. A fine way to explore, and a great way to end our first day in the Kingdom of Tonga.
After an overnight passage from Vatoa, Fiji, we arrived in a new country this morning. Our first stop in Tonga was a true expedition stop – the island of Fonfo’ou (‘New Land’ or Falcon Island). An active volcanic sea mount, this sometimes island has emerged above the waves at least five times in the past 120 years. At other times it is a submerged reef, and as we approached this morning we had little idea what we would find. We discovered that Fonufo’ou is currently a reef, just breaking the surface at times. We dispatched our Undersea Specialist to dive on the reef and his report of corals and marine life on the reef indicated that there has been little or no volcanic activity in the past decade or more.
Meanwhile, the rest of us were whale watching from the deck. The seas around the Kingdom of Tonga are well known for their population of humpback whales, present in the Austral winter when the whales migrate here to breed from their rich summer feeding grounds in Antarctica. It was difficult to know just how many whales were present as at times it seemed there were whales in all directions.
We then relocated to the island of Tofua – close to the location where the mutiny on HMS Bounty occurred. The afternoon was spent snorkeling or diving, or taking a scenic Zodiac cruise along the cliffs of this active volcano. The Zodiac cruisers were diverted from the attractions of Tofua by the appearance of humpback whales close inshore, which gave our second opportunity today to obtain excellent views of these graceful animals.
Later in the evening after a fine deck barbeque we retired to the lounge to see some further exploration of the undersea realm, courtesy of our Remote Operated Vehicle. Piloted to a depth of about 400 feet by our Undersea Specialist we had a chance to see a little known and rarely seen part of our planet from the comfort of the lounge with a drink in hand. A fine way to explore, and a great way to end our first day in the Kingdom of Tonga.
