A humpback whale at the surface in the clear water of Vava’u, Tonga

Vava’u · Kingdom of Tonga

Groups, charters & film crews

Bringing your own people, or your own camera? We work with tour leaders, private groups and production crews every season. Tell us what you need and we will build the week around it.

Talk to usTour leader terms

4 or 6 guests
Per boat — a small group fills one outright
4 in the water
Tongan law, plus the accredited guide
5 swim days
Across 7 nights, Saturday to Saturday
Mid-July to October
When the humpbacks are in Vava’u

Who this is for

Three ways to bring a group

We are happy to accommodate group leaders, private bookings and film crews. Whichever one you are, the week itself is the same — what changes is who is on the boat with you and who is selling it.

A group sitting together on the dock at the end of a day on the water

Tour leaders

Bring your own guests

You sell the trip to your own audience and travel with them; we run the week on the water. Photographers, dive clubs and travel companies come back with a group every season.

  • Book 7 places and the 8th is free
  • 10% commission on group bookings
  • Your group kept together on the same boats
  • Boats, guides and accommodation all arranged
A humpback mother and calf just beneath the surface in Vava’u

Private groups

Take the whole boat

Fill a boat with your own people and the day belongs to you. No strangers in the group, and the calls about where to go and how long to stay with an animal are made between you and your guide.

  • Four or six guests to a boat
  • On a four-guest boat everyone swims every encounter
  • Families, clubs and friends travelling together
  • Required if anyone in your party is under 16
A freediver with an underwater camera rig alongside a humpback whale

Film crews

Shooting in Vava’u

Stills and motion crews work here through the season. Tell us what the shoot needs — the schedule, the light, how long you need on one animal — and we will tell you honestly what is possible here.

  • Seven hours on the water each day
  • Your own boat, so the schedule is yours
  • Guides who know these animals and this water
  • Get in touch early — the season is short

For tour leaders

Seven paid, the eighth free

Our standard arrangement for anyone bringing their own group. Book seven paying places and the eighth place is free of charge — and there is a 10% commission on any group booking for tour leaders.

Write to us with the dates you have in mind and the number of people you expect, and we will come back with what is available and what it costs. Every group is a little different — get in touch and we will put a package together for yours.

Get in touch

7 + 1
The eighth place is free

Plus 10% commission on group bookings

Before you plan

What the water allows

Worth knowing before you build an itinerary or promise anything to your own guests: the numbers in the water here are set by Tongan law, not by us.

1

Four in the waterTongan law allows four guests in the water at a time, plus the accredited guide — five people with the whale. That is the law, not our preference, and everyone in Vava’u works to it.
2

Four means no rotationOn a four-passenger boat everyone is in the water for every encounter. On a six-passenger boat, four swim at a time and the group rotates through.
3

7:30am, seven hoursBoats leave at 7:30am and you are on the water for seven hours with your accredited guide. Lunch is included. Five of those days in a seven-night week.
4

The boat must be yoursChildren under sixteen are welcome, but the group has to book every space on the boat. A family or private group covers this naturally.

How it works

Getting your group booked

The season runs mid-July to October and the good weeks go early, particularly for whole-boat and whole-week bookings. Start the conversation sooner rather than later.

1

Tell us what you need

The dates you have in mind, how many people you expect, and whether you want a boat, a whole week, or something built around a shoot.

2

We come back to you

Which weeks are still open, which accommodation each one includes, and what the whole thing costs for your group.

3

A deposit holds it

A $1,500 USD deposit per person secures the places. The balance is due 120 days before departure.

Let’s talk about your group

Send us the dates and the numbers — or just tell us what you are trying to do — and we will tell you honestly what is possible in Vava’u.

Get in touchSee 2027 trips

info@humpbackswims.com  ·  WhatsApp +1 (650) 338-7553