MELINDA SEA ADVENTURES
COMMENTS ON OUR TRIPS

To: Clare Williams, Charterworld

Dear Clare,

I came back home from my honeymoon just yesterday.

The time on board with Melinda Sea Adventures was wonderful, Tonga is a piece of paradise on the earth and even if the weather wasn’t good (clouds and rain for almost all the time) the crew was great in finding something to do: they often took us with the dinghy for a walk ashore or for an exploration of the coast around and they had care of us for everything. For all the time we had great sailing, great snorkeling, really good food and it was very interesting to explore the islands where we were anchored for the night.

I think we will never forget all the places and all the people we met, overall we will never forget the crew (Cristine for her magnificent cakes, Steve for all his stories and for the funny sailing and Mesi for his precision in doing everything). And I will never forget your courtesy and kindness in the organization of this trip.

Thank you so much!
Valentina

Photographic Trip/Bruce Watkins
Melinda Sea Adventures performed magnificently. They know the area, the whales, and know how to get people respectfully close to the whales. It was clear that the crew was there for the passengers and not the other way around. Each trip and each day was structured around what the passengers wanted.
They gave a very knowledgeable briefing. They work closely with research groups and have up to date information on whale movements and behaviour.
We saw single whales, mother and calf pairs, and groups of 7-10. The humpbacks sometimes stayed with us for hours at a time, allowing us to swim with them for an hour or more.
It is truly spiritual to have a 40-foot whale swim up to you a short distance away and look you straight in the eye. We swam next to singing whales, very loud and mesmerising. One night a singer spent the night beneath our boat, and sang to us most of the night. We also had encounters with spinner and bottlenose dolphins, but they were not as friendly as the whales.
Young calves were particularly curious, friendly and playful, and their moms did not mind us swimming with their calf! They frequently choose to approach the boat within 30 feet.

We snorkeled and explored remote islands in the late afternoon, and visited a village for a local Tongan feast one evening. The food on the boat was delicious. Local, fresh ingredients are masterfully put together. Curry from freshly ground spices was memorable.
The weather was mostly fine with clear, blue skies and calm seas. It is the tropics so we did get rain some days.

Stella and Juergen Freund, Photographers

In Vava'u, Tonga we went with Melinda Sea Adventures which is run very well. The skipper knew how to operate the sailboat to be able to let us off the boat and have meaningful interactions with whales.
We researched a lot on the web. After canvassing resorts, food and whale watching trips in Vava'u, a live-aboard like Melinda Sea Adventures offers had everything for an agreeable amount.
We were a very intimate group and there was great sensitivity in operating their whale watching/swim programme. The wealth of knowledge of the area and how to have meaningful interactions is key to having a great time.
We left port and headed straight to sea to find whales. First day we saw one right away and were lucky enough to swim with them and photograph the whale topside.
We stayed about 3 nights on the boat and on the last night, about 3 or 4 in the morning, we could loudly hear the humpback whales singing. It woke us up and the singing went on and on as if the whales were beside us. This was beyond great. It was one of those "for the books" types of experiences that you will talk about for the rest of your life. It was fantastic.

The most cheerful Tongan woman prepared our meals. The food was excellent.

The crew did their very best and for that we had totally no complaints and we enjoyed ourselves onboard very much. In fact, I feel we made lasting friends.

Being on a liveaboard has the best advantage of being out there at sea morning, noon and night. It is the most exhilarating experience but knowing how to swim well with a mask, fins and snorkel is a prerequisite to a successful encounter.