Tonga has three main island groups – NukuAlofa to the south, the Ha’apai in the center and Vava’U to the north. We are currently anchored at Haano which is the northern most island of the Ha’apai group. A local dive shop suggested we stop herre for the snorkeling which they suggested was the best in Tonga – they were right.
Our target was a mushroom shaped rock in a bay at the center of the island.
The water dropped around the rock very quickly to over 100 feet. Numerous coral reefs projected up from the bottom just shy of the surface. A fairly hairy area to get the boat in to – our scanning sonar paid for itself on this one. Unfortunately, weather moved in the day we arrived and it rained in torrents. We had planned to move on but decided to stay an extra day to see the reefs. What follows are some pictures I took with our cheapy HD underwater video and still camera – pretty good for $200. The water clarity wasn’t as good as usual due to all the run off from the island, but here they are.
We also learned that humpback whales some to this very bay to have their calves. They are typically here between June and November. More about that in another post.
Best
Pete and Deb