Off-water time

Off-water time 2019-07-22T06:20:35+00:00

Afternoons and evenings
Once we return to the dock each afternoon, you’ll have a couple of hours before dinner. Many guests choose to use this time to download and process images, clean-up equipment and prepare for the next day with the whales and join the daily lab process session.

Some guests choose to take the opportunity for a quick stop in town for a coffee (or a beer or cocktail) overlooking the beautiful harbour,  some shopping or maybe some exploring of the surrounds, including climbing to the highest point, Mount Talau. The choice is entirely yours.

Daily lab Sessions
For those keen on photography, we want help you make the most of the images you capture while you’re with us in Tonga, so we offer an hour or so of supervised “lab time” each afternoon leading up to dinner.

This is the time to download/edit/process the day’s captures under the expert guidance of both Darren and Jasmine. Lightroom techniques will be demonstrated and there’s time for some one-to-one tuition to assist on those your special images.

During this time we also debrief about the encounters of the day, talk photography and whales and suggest what might be done to improve your work over coming days.

No-work Sundays
Tonga has a strong tradition of Sunday being a day of rest– in fact it’s against Tongan Law for all but an essential few operations to work on Sundays.

Sunday lunch is not included in your tour, so that means we have a lazy late breakfast, and its essentially a free day.

  • Some people choose to visit one of the local Churches to enjoy the beautiful Tongan harmonies.
  • Lunch at one of a couple local cafe’s that are permitted to open
  • Laze around read a book
  • Walk up to the highest point on the island, Mount Talau
  • Wander the empty streets
  • Work on your photographs
  • Grab a lift to Talihau Beach for a snorkel
  • Visit a local beach-front restaurant where you can laze under a palm tree with a cocktail and have a swim
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