22nd September to 29th September 2008 

$2570 Dive club price   

$2750 Non dive club price 

Minimum certification level: Advanced Open Water

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Paradise Islands

Tonga, on a South Pacific map is just west of the international dateline were it meets the Tropic of Cancer. It lies about two-thirds of the way between New Zealand and Hawaii. From the Island of Nuku Alofa the capital , Tonga stretches nearly 1000 kilometers to the Minerva Reef in the south. Tonga consists of 170 islands, with only 37 of these inhabited. There are many reasons to visit Tonga. The long expanses of golden sand beaches, crystal clear waters, dramatic coastal sceneryand volcanic peaks is just a start. The languid lifestyle makes the other pacific islands holiday destinations look hectic in comparison to the warm and welcoming nature of the Tongan people.

Diving Vava’u

Tonga has a lot to offer with it’s beautiful coral reefs stretching over fifty different dive spots, with many more sights still undiscovered. The visibility is between 25 metres (82 feet) to 40 metres (131 feet) and the water temperature is between 24c (74F0) to 28c (84F0). Tongan scuba-diving spots are rated among the best in the world. The dive sites are varied . Tonga is on the seasonal, migration path of the Humpback Whale (July - November) and these incredible mammals can often be sighted traveling with their young. The dive sites are varied with caves, tunnels, walls, brightly coloured fans and coral formations. There are few things in this world that could rival the experience of swimming with whales and Tonga, is only one of two places world wide to allow it. Witnessing their beauty and sheer scale in the crystal clear waters of the Pacific is a sight to
behold. The sunken copra schooner in Port of “Refuge Harbour”
is a must for the serious diver, as is Mariner's Cave.

Beluga Diving

Beluga Diving is situated only 15 minutes away from most resorts in Vavau. Beluga’s own private jetty allows easy access to their dive boat. The staff at Beluga Diving offer professional and friendly service, equipment rental, air fills as
well as a variety of dive courses from Discover Scuba to Dive Assistant Instructor . Snorkel trips and Dive Charters are available on request. Wind Surfing and Para-Sailing hire is also available. Land tours are available in their own mini-bus. You will see village life that is very much the same as when Captain Cook set foot on these "Friendly Islands." over 200 years ago. Horse riding through tropical plantations and leisurely walks through nearby villages to witness local handcrafts being made can also be arranged.

China Town - (Tu'ungasika island)

Named for it’s pagoda like porite coral formations that are covered with multi-hued tube worms. An easy swim up a gully will get you to a bright red anemone, home to the clown fish family, nestled in a bed of green lettuce coral. At 27 metres (88-ft) the growth continues down and out as far as you can see continuing across a ridge with schools of large surgeonfish and species. The return offers plenty of tunnels and crevices to check for sleeping sharks, emperor angelfish and cruising harlequin or clown triggerfish. In the late afternoon scorpion fish can be seen in their full splendor.

Mariner’s Cave

An airtight chamber which gets it’s oxygen out of a solution contained in the water. Fog is a feature in the cave formed on an outgoing surge as the pressure and temperatures drop. Divers can use the lower entrance at 16.5 meters or snorkel at the upper 2 meters and swim 6.5 metres in. A nice ledge on the outside offers small nudibranchs for aficionados.

Shark's Tooth Cave

Three openings joined by a 16.5 metre tunnel gives access at 13.5 metres to this site. Inside are numerous chambers of which two are above sea level. The cave is full of several schools of cardinal fish. Usually a cray can be spotted in the large chamber. Catching the crays is discouraged as thoughtless divers have depleted the population. Outside is a point favoured by schools of pyramid butterfly fish that seem to like the afternoon sun. A ledge on the west side offers such a collection of nudibranchs that one enthusiast left behind his expensive camera in the excitement, fortunately it was found the next day.

No Lighthouse

This dive site is clearly marked by a large rock with "No Lighthouse" dropping down the wall to 27 metres places us at the entrance to a 17 metre tunnel that goes right through the centre. A black coral bush marks the entrance and usually emperor angelfish cruises here. Swimming through the tunnel we exit at 40 metres on a sand bed where often barracuda can be sighted. Swimming back around the rock one comes on a sand bed covered with garden eels gently waving back and forth in the surge. When you try to get closer the front row sucks down into the sand, returning as one moves away. The wall is covered with purple soft corals, continuing to a ridge that connects the rock to the main island; large boulders are home for grouper and a good stand of gorgonians on the side of the ledge.

The Clan McWilliam

This 128 metre (423-ft) ill-fated ship was launched, October 1918 as Clan Quehele and renamed in December. In June 1923 she damaged her propeller in Dunkirk and January 1924 was towed into Panama with engine trouble. She sank in the harbour of Neiafu on December 24th, 1927 due to fire in her forward hold and it is claimed that the Captain and Chief Engineer went down with her. She sits upright with her stern at 22 metres (72-ft) and is a haven for batfish, snapper, and small tuna and overgrows with corals, including goniopora with dandelion like long necked polyps.

Paradise International Hotel

The Paradise International Hotel is located in the beautiful Vava'u island group. The hotel is only 1.5 kilometers from the centre of town. A great place to enjoy world-class diving, whale watching, fishing, secluded beaches, translucent waters and peaceful surrounds.

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