Diving in Tonga, and particularly Ha'apai, is known for superb coral reefs, diverse topography and a big variety of fish life. The pace of life in Tonga is supremely relaxed.
Diving is possible all year round in Tonga. Water temperature in Ha'apai is at its highest in March reaching 28°C (82°F) and drops to a low of 21°C (70°F) during August when the Humpback Whales arrive. Visibility doesn’t vary much throughout the year with anything below 20 meters being uncommon and 30 meters plus as the norm.
Beds of yellow sea fans can be found at the Ha’apai Islands along with extensive anemones and their associated clown fish. In places the reef wall is riddled with lobster filled caves, some containing air bubbles in the roof large enough to surface into. During winter and spring, divers can be assured to at least hear, if not see, humpback whales that make the clear waters their calving and mating grounds from July to October each year.
The reefs and shallows of the Ha’apai Group offer amazing underwater scenery. Walls, caves, channels, tunnels, drifts, drop-offs and coral gardens, with hard and soft coral and hundreds of fish species, make for a great variety of dives.
With outstanding visibility up to 25 meters to 30 meters in
summer up
to 70 meters in winter, and with very comfortable water temperatures of 23 degrees to 29 degrees to create a magnificent conditions for diving.
Since recently, even a piece of Tonga´s history can be seen underwater. In December 2009, more than 200 years after the Port au Prince was raided and burnt, Fins n Flukes the local dive operator found the anchor of this pirate ship and are happy to show divers around the site.
|
Sandy Beach Resort is designed for nature lovers who enjoy life's little luxuries, with its fine sand beaches stretching as far as the eye can see; the beach has actually been nominated as a world heritage site.
