Dive destination: Lafalafa, Tonga

The hulls of the catamaran slowly give up their momentum to her viscous insistence as we glide up to the mooring buoy and tie off. This is Lafalafa, an undulating coral reef plateau, three nautical miles from Foa Island in the Ha’apai group, one of the three main island groups that make up the Kingdom of Tonga.

Lafalafa emerges from the sand 200 metres below, creating a “raised platform” that brings the ocean floor within range of the sunlit surface. It provides a solid foundation for coral reef communities to flourish. Tidal currents wash deep, nutrient rich water across its flanks, continually nourishing the sun-drenched reefs. The reef pinnacle below me reaches almost to the surface from the plateau’s base 40 metres down. It has built up over tens of thousands of years; its living surface supported by uncounted coral ancestors, whose limestone skeletons provide structure, solidity and continuity.

As I glide closer to the reef a school of pinnate batfish subtly incline their disk shaped bodies in my direction. The whole school moves in one fluid movement, 50 bodies acting as one. Twenty metres to their right plankton grazing fusiliers swirl and spiral above the reef, giving shape to the invisible currents flowing around and across the, more or less, circular reef. Gliding effortlessly with the current I follow the contours of the reef as it cascades down to thirty metres. Here colonies of billowing soft corals, their bodies engorged with water, waft their tentacled polyps into the flowing current, ensnaring passing zooplankton. A large grouper, normally a nocturnal predator, nevertheless senses my approach and comes out of his daytime lair to satisfy his curiosity.

Further down the slope I can see a resident gang of grey reef sharks patrolling lazily, their presence eliciting hardly a murmur amongst the reef community. Everyone knows it’s not lunchtime. Everywhere I look reef fish are busy going about their daily routines. It’s reassuring to see so many good sized, adults; parrotfish, wrasse, snapper and butterflyfish, all indicators of a healthy and vibrant reef. This is born out by the high percentage of healthy hard coral formations as well as new coral colonies taking advantage of any vacant space. The top of the reef is teeming with life including hundreds of anemones and their resident clownfish.

In many ways Lafalafa reflects Tonga as a whole, a long chain of islands and atolls capping a volcanic ridge that rises from the 10,882m deep Tonga Trench. From a diver’s perspective this is really good news. Not only does it ensure good visibility, but also with 176 islands, most of them uninhabited, and thousands of kilometres of reef to explore you can be sure of uncluttered and varied diving without the risk of seeing more divers than fish. The combination of volcanic rock and coral limestone has created many caves and literally hundreds of labyrinth like tunnels and swim throughs that often open to the surface, allowing brilliant shafts of sunlight to pierce the gloom.

Tonga has become famous as one of the very few places on the planet where you can safely swim with humpback whales. Every year, between July and October, humpbacks migrate from Antarctica to the warm sheltered waters of the “Friendly Islands” to give birth, mate and relax. To spend time with these magnificent giants is a special privilege for sure but they aren’t the only reason to consider Tonga for your next South Pacific adventure. The consistent quality and variety of Tonga’s reefs makes the kingdom a worthwhile dive destination at any time of the year.