In October
1999, immediately after departing the lagoon of Hunga Island in the Vava'U
Group, Kingdom of Tonga, we sailed right into a pod of three humpback
whales -- two adults and a baby. Our first sight of them was a huge fin
flailing in the air. We launched the dinghy to get a little closer.
Later, Alan got in the water with them and snorkeled as they fed and
played. Particularly enthralling were the antics of the baby, which "spyhopped"
out of the water to twist around, presumably to keep an eye on us, in the air.
Music is by Fenua, a French Polynesian band, from the 1999 CD
"Fenua Remix."
Warning: This video loads very slowly unless you have
an ultra-fast connection. Sorry -- it's an old-technology AVI file.
Voyage of Heartsong III