Whales Underwater in Tonga, with special guest host Phil Thurston
BB16A | 5-16 August 2016 | 11 nights/8 full days on the water | AUD$5150* twin share
other Whales Underwater tour options can be found here
Join ocean photographer Phil Thurston for eight unforgettable days of in-water encounters with the humpback whales on your 11 night holiday in the Kingdom of Tonga’s famous Vava’u Group of Islands.
Your whale watching days will be spent with Phil and our on-water crew of specialist Licensed Whale Swimming Skippers and Guides.
Your off-water time will be at Talau House, our home-stay style guesthouse in Nieafu, on the main island of Vava’u. Here you and Phil will join with Darren Jew (lead photographer and founder of Whales Underwater) and his group, for editing and processing “lab-time”. Both Darren and Phil will assist you to bring out the best in your images, with the aim that you get great images of the whales and improve your photography generally, from whatever level you may start.
Philip Thurston is a professional ocean and adventure photographer based in South Coast of NSW, Australia.
Phil grew up in the heavy Australian reef breaks on the South Coast of NSW. Together with his two older brothers he pursued professional bodyboarding– which in his late teens developed into a growing passion for surf photography to document and support his older brother’s career in professional wave riding. Their commitment and dedication to shooting the powerful large swells that would hit seasonally not only developed a passion in Thurston for the raw energy of the ocean swells but conditioned him with the confidence to capture up close and beautiful imagery of the breaking wave.
Self-published author of the ‘Living Water’, Phil now travels the world capturing ocean and adventure related images that drive the growing momentum and inspiration of Thurston Photo. You can learn more about Phil at his website.
Images © Phil thurston
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Itinerary
BB16A | 5-16 August 2016 | cost AUD$5150 twin share*
*INCLUDES: Airport transfers in Vava’u and Tongatapu; Accommodation at Talau House (twin share or double only available); all meals (3 meals per day, except Sunday Lunch; snacks; daily bottled drinking water; daily transfers from Talau House to the whale watch vessel; full-day boat trips to whale swim as per itinerary; licensed in-water guiding services; photography tuition both in capture and processing.
DOES NOT INCLUDE: International airfares; domestic airfares; items of a personal nature; drinks
| Friday 5 August | |||
| Inbound transfers. Check in to Talau House – settle-in free day to relax and catch up on sleep! | |||
| 4.00 pm | Welcome meeting & Tour briefing and preparation | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner | ||
| Saturday 6 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. ‘Swim with the whales’ & boat briefing. Whales, lunch & snorkeling |
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| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Sunday 7 August | |||
| 8.30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9.30am | Day at leisure, optional activities | ||
| 7.oopm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Monday 8 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. Whales, lunch & snorkeling. | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Tuesday 9 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Day at leisure, optional activities | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Wednesday 10 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. Whales, lunch & snorkeling. | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Thursday 11 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. Whales, lunch & snorkeling. | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Friday 12 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. Whales, lunch & snorkeling. | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Saturday 13 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. Whales, lunch & snorkeling. | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Sunday 14 August | |||
| 8.30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:30am | Day at leisure, optional activities | ||
| 7:00pm | Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Monday 15 August | |||
| 6.30–7.00am | Breakfast | ||
| 7.15am | Transfer to Dolphin Jetty – board your vessel. Whales, lunch & snorkeling. | ||
| 3.00pm +/- | Arrive jetty – transfer to Talau House / edit time in the lab | ||
| 7.00pm | Farewell Dinner at Talau House | ||
| Tuesday 16 August | |||
| Breakfast & completion of tour. Check-out and outbound transfers. | |||
To book your space on one of our Whales Underwater Tours, Contact Emma Rowan-Kelly at Wentworth Travel on (02) 9301 9911 from within Australia or +61 2 9301 9911 from outside Australia, or email [email protected]
Download and complete the Wentworth-Travel-Tour–Booking-Form to forward to Emma