Things have returned to normal here in Tonga and we have had had some amazing experiences in the last couple of days.

Yesterday we went on a whale watching expedition with Wayne and Susan, our buds from Daydream. You may wonder why we would pay to go out watching whales as we have seen plenty of whales, but here in Tonga with a licensed operator it is legal to SWIM with the whales. Yes, they let us SWIM with humpback whales and oh my goodness what an experience.

First thing in the morning, we found a mother humpback and her calf and Noah our Tongan guide used up most of his limited English with his advice, "don't touch the whales". With that we launched off his tiny boat and swam towards some of the largest mammals on the planet. Kids in tow, what were we thinking?

It was amazing and unforgettable! Swimming hard in their direction, we were able to approach to within 20-30 feet of the whales and watch the mother and her baby gliding below us and surfacing right in front of us. Looking deep into the impossibly clear blue water, dusty white sunbeams seem to go down forever then vanish. From below, an enormous form would appear and get closer and closer until gracefully turning away to glide past. The mother would shepherd her calf with an effortless pump of her tail, suddenly moving much faster than we could follow. As they moved away, Noah swooped in, loaded us into the boat, and we waited for them to resurface before jumping back into the water.

After swimming with this pair several times, we spotted another mother with her frisky calf launching itself tirelessly out of the water. The mother whale breached in one of the most awesome displays of acrobatics and energy that left us all gasping as she hit the water. After being shown how it was done, the calf could not get enough. Several whales jumping out of the water next to the boat... must be time to go swimming. This will surely be on the highlight reel of my life. Timothy and I followed the calf about 30 feet behind him and watched him dive down and then swim like crazy for the surface. We would pop our heads up as he broke the surface and launched into the air over and over again. We were so captivated by this absurd display of sheer childish exuberance that everyone but Mary had forgotten about the mamma. Mamma whale must have decided that we were close enough and swam under us passing between us and her baby and looking at us out of the largest eyeball I have ever imagined. It was an out of body experience where all you can do is stop and stare, good thing or I would have surely inked myself.

The whales were beautiful, and watching them under water was a special opportunity for us. It brought the whales to life in an unforgettable way.