Whale Chatter

One the main goals of our recent trip to Tonga was to capture the sounds of whales, also known as "Whale Song".

We know that male whales sing loud, complex, and haunting songs to attract mates and that whale songs differ between regions and change over time.

Tonga is very much the whale nursery for the " Tongan Tribe" of whales that will eventually make their way back to Antartica passing by the east coast of New Zealand.

The communication between a mother and calf, is very different to the "whale Song" and involves soft, quiet grunts, high pitched squeaks, ticking and barks known as "whispering" or "cryptic calling,".

These sounds help mother and calf stay in contact without attracting predators and it is thought to facilitate nursing.

Personally, we thought it was the mum telling the calf to check out the silly humans with their tiny little tails - either way it was AMAZING.

We captured these sounds clips with a specifically designed hyrodphone developed by Cetacean Research Technology ( model SQ26-H1 for anyone interested).

Thanks to the team Ha'apai Beach Resort who run fabulous and ethical swim tours, where whale comfort and safety always comes first!

Please enjoy this short video and feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested.

Cheers

Rob and Kate