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Tonga Freediving, Whale Swimming & Spearfishing Retreat

Tonga Freediving, Whale Swimming & Spearfishing Retreat

Salty Pilgrims Freediving

$500.00 AUD
$500.00 AUD
Sale Sold out
Date ($500 deposit to secure your spot)
View full details

Join us in 'Eua, the forgotton island of The Kingdon of Tonga and one of the oldest Islands in the Pacifc.

Spend a week swimming with humpback whales, spearfishing with expert guides, and diving in some of the clearest, most vibrant waters you’ve ever seen. Sprinkle in some whale song for good measure and you have Eua.

Diving with Humbpack Whales is a life-altering, earth shattering experience and of all the things we've experienced underwater, this has got to be the pinnacle.

We’ve teamed up with the legends at Blue Water Retreat, where you’ll stay right on the beach, just steps from the famous Humpback Highway. Imagine drifting off to sleep to the sound of whales breaching just outside your door.

This trip is truly one of a kind. We’ve kept it small—only 8 people—so you’ll have plenty of space and personal attention. With just 4 people per boat and your own expert guides in the water, we're certain this is a trip you'll remember forever.

  • Dates

    23rd - 30th October, 2025

  • Location

    Eua, Kingdom of Tonga

  • Where to fly into

    Fuaʻamotu International Airport - Tongatapu (main island) arriving on 22nd October. (This flight from Sydney is around $345 one way with a stopover in Nadi)

    Once you arrive, you will be picked up and taken to your accomodation for the night, and the next morning the group will travel to Eua by ferry (2 hours). This will all be arranged for you.

    OR take a 10 minute flight to Eua

  • Cost of trip

    $500 deposit to secure your spot
    $6750- Total cost, all inclusive except for flights. Payment plans available.
    Read below for the full list of inclusions.

    Balance due 90 days before trip start date.

  • Accomodation

    Beachfront bungalows set back just behind the humpback Highway - you will hear whales jumping whilst laying in bed at night and see them from your doorstep when you wake up in the morning.

    Twin bed or Queen bed setup, private bathrooms.

  • Weather

    Water temperatures range from 26 - 28 degrees celsius. 3.5mm wetsuits recommended.

  • Spearfishing Ability

    We will be doing lots of Bluewater spearfishing, so this trip is more suitable for those with spearfishing experience. There will be ample opportunities to shoot Wahoo, Mahi Mahi and Dogtooth Tuna for the more experienced spearos.

  • Your Vibe

    This trip is for those looking to experience the profound beauty of Tonga, while making lifelong friendships and can appreciate the unpredictable nature of the ocean and take it in their stride! This is for those people who aren't totally focused on just Spearfishing, but want to appreciate swimming with Whales, and spend afternoons relaxing on the beach with a drink, a fire and watch the sun go down.

  • Freediving Courses, Workshops & Line Dives

    Throughout the week, when we're not swimming with Whales or Spearfishing, there will be opportunities for those interested to practice freediving to depth on the line and completing their Molchanovs Wave 1 or Wave 2 course. There will also be several workshops for every type of freediver, run throughout the week. Expect these workshops to help take your diving to the next level.

  • Food

    Sit back and relax with 3 meals per day cooked by our own private cooks. The mouth-watering week's menu showcases the best and freshest meals cooked with locally grown fruits and veggies, as well as your pick of the fish you catch! Fresh sashimi boards will be prepared from the previous day's catch.

Inclusions

☼ 7 nights accommodation at our own private Beachfront Resort located on the Humpback Highway

☼ Airport Transfers

☼ Boat Transfers from the main island to Eua Island

☼ 3 Days swimming with Humpback Whales - this trip is the ONLY trip unique to Whale swimming where you will only have 4 people on your boat and your guides! (instead of upwards of 10) You will basically have your own private experience with the whales.

☼ 3 Days Spearfishing, including Bluewater spearfishing, FAD spearfishing and Reef spearfishing - Guided Spearfishing (only 4 per boat, groups of 2 split between 2 guides)

☼ Molchanovs Wave 1 & Wave 2 Freediving Course

☼ Line Freediving & Freediving workshops ran by Molchanovs Instructor Trainer, Jordan Black

☼ Half day Island tour (on the rest day)

☼ Spearfishing Workshops tailored to suit your ability level and turn you into an incredible underwater hunter. Run by our experienced Spearfishing and Freediving Instructors

☼ 3 Meals per day & Sashimi platters

☼ Marine Biology Presentation

☼ Underwater photographs and videos of yourself swimming with Whales & Spearfishing to capture your memories

☼ Hat/ t-shirt

Swim with Humpback Whales

Eua is one of the best, if not the best places in the world for in-water encounters with humpback whales.

All of the whale swims are conducted by the legends at Bluewater Retreat, they are among the most experienced whale swim guides in the world, and we are so confident in saying you will have one of the best experiences of your life swimming with the whales!!

We are allowed to dive down 3m to swim with the Whales, which is more than enough to have the Whales playing, swimming, dancing and rolling around close to you. We are also allowed to get as close as 5m to the whales if the whale swim guide deems it safe to do so, and you can bet that we will be there to capture these moments for you on video and photo!

Spearfishing

We visited Tonga recently to do a reconnaissance mission and were blown away by the fish life. Our group collectively had shots at over 15 Wahoo and loads of Dogtooth Tuna. We speared Mahi Mahi, Yellowfin Tuna, XL Jobfish, Coral Trout, Trevally and Mu. All up in the week there were 36 different species shot, this place is abundant and good things come to those who wait for the perfect moment to take the shot.

While there will be ample opportunities to shoot incredible fish, our whole team is passionate about caring for the local people, the environment and respecting the area by never taking more than what we need (and what we can share with the locals).

We recommend the spearfishing for those with a decent amount of experience. The Bluewater hunting for Wahoo and Mahi Mahi will be in the top 5-10m of water, while fish like Dogtooth Tuna and Jobfish will be more around the 15m+ mark.

There will be very experienced guides with each group in the water, working the flasher and burleying fish the whole time, splitting the divers into small groups based on experience. You will be spearfishing with someone who is at the same level as you.

The sharks are quite well behaved, however its good to have some experience diving around sharks as they can steal the occasional fish. The sharks are better behaved here than in any other pacific Island we have spearfished in.

We will be spending 3 days spearfishing different reefs and FAD's and the groups will be split accordingly to best suit the experience levels of the group.

Freediving

If you're uninterested in Spearfishing, you can spend your time swimming with whales, exploring the reefs, completing your freediving course, freediving for depth or just enjoying being underwater to the sound of whale song.

Throughout the week, there will be several opportunities for line diving sessions, where you can refine your freediving skills, go deeper and be coached through any aspect of freediving you're interested in.

Freediving specific workshops and Molchanovs Wave 1 and 2 courses will be run some evenings, and these will reflect the needs of the group! Whether they be related to mental techniques to help calm the mind, technique focused, equalisation focused or anything the instructors observe in the dive sessions that will help the group or individual, there will be ample opportunity to take your freediving to the next level on this trip.

Trip FAQ’s

What Freediving Certification can I get?

This trip is focused on enjoying the experience on freediving, swimming with Whales and targeting world class, delicious fish (if you're interested in spearfishing).

You also have the option to complete your Molchanovs Wave 1 or 2 Course on this trip.

What if I don't want to Spearfish?

You don't have to! You are able to freedive and explore instead.

What gear is needed?

You will need to bring all of your own freediving and spearfishing gear with you. We will supply you with dive weights so you don’t have to travel with them.

3.5mm wetsuit recommended.

How do I travel with dive gear/spearguns?

Traveling with your fins and gear in a dive bag, or a Sportstube is best.

What if I have dietary requirements?

The cooks will cater for your food requirements.

Exclusions

☼ Flights
☼ Accom for the night before the trip starts, on the main island
☼ Travel Insurance

Travel Insurance

We recommend getting travel cancellation insurance upon booking your spot on the trip, to save you any financial hardships if you need to cancel your trip. You can get travel insurance that covers this.

You must have travel insurance before leaving Australia to join this trip.