Humpback Encounters Are No Fluke in Niue

Niue is a coral atoll which comes from hundreds of metres deep to very shallow

In 2022 I was fortunate enough to travel to Niue for my 5th time. Each time I make more friends and see so much more of this amazing island. Located just 3.5 hours flight from New Zealand.
Niue is a coral atoll which comes from hundreds of metres deep to very shallow, this happens very close to shore and does not have any fringing lagoons, the whales can come within 50 metres to shore in some places.

Each year from July to October, humpback whale travel up from Antarctica past New Zealand and arrive in Niue to nurse their young. While it’s not a guarantee that you will experience in-water interaction as this is dependent on the whales and the weather conditions, it is a guarantee that these gentle, playful giants will captivate you and hold a special place in your heart.

Swimming with whales can be a life changing experience. Just snorkeling in the beautiful clear blue waters of Niue you can hear the whales before you see them, their harmonic singing. It is so loud and so deep, mesmerizing you and pulsating, you can feel it reverberating through your entire body.

Luck was on my side, this trip, I had 5 encounters with whales every one had a mother a calf and an escort male. I had one encounter when I was on scuba just offshore at a location that is also easily seen from Crazy Uga café. Sitting at around 20 metres, I was thoroughly captivated by a feeding turtle and felt the presence of something large looming over me, our dive guide Emma was frantically ringing her signaling devices trying to get us all to look up. Finally looking up to see a large sub adult checking me out. This guy stayed with us for some time and just being in it’s presence was awe inspiring.

I had booked on a couple of whale watching snorkeling trips thought Niue Blue, and they didn’t disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised to see a male at a cleaning station, head down tail up, being cleaned by fish, picking off parasite's on the same trip we jumped into the crystal clear waters and saw a mother, calf and escort gliding through the water, young calves are always so inquisitive, always wanting to come and check you out, the escort will usually come between the calf and you as if to say, don't come close to us.
These enormous mammals can be also be viewed from the land at dedicated viewing areas, where their gymnastics provide a spectacular show sometimes only 20 metres from shore. Niue is a signatory to the South Pacific Whale Sanctuary and fully supports the conservation of whales, so all interactions are conducted from a distance that respects their privacy and your safety.
At night, you can sometimes hear the whales slapping their giant fins against the water, you may even be kept awake by their calls during the night. I definitely don't mind being kept awake with these amazing sounds, some people have them as stress relief recordings and find them very relaxing.

Organized viewing or swimming tours can be arranged – self-guided experiences are not allowed. Whale interactions are very dependent on mother nature so if you don’t get to see them close up don’t be disappointed there is still some great diving and adventures to experience. And who knows you might get to see the resident spinner dolphins as you are on the look out for the whales.

If you would love to go scuba diving in crystal clear water, or snorkelling with the whales or dolphins the get in touch with Evan at Niue Blue.https://niueblue.com/
https://www.facebook.com/NiueBlue