Tonga – Still Paradise
I have been visiting Tonga for 13 years and spent many hours on the water photographing Humpback whales and I can tell you, every time I get in the water with these magnificent creatures, I am just as excited as the first time. Tonga has so much to offer, picturesque landscapes and underwater environments makes this place paradise for Photographers, and don’t forget the added bonus that you can swim with whales. It really is still paradise. Every year I see something different or have one of those unforgettable encounters. This year I had a baby whale shoot up from the depths and breach half a meter in front of me, exhilarating to say the least. This year Travel & Fashion Blogger, Laura McWhinnie from This Island life did an interview piece about her time in Tonga with us, check out the article here:
http://www.thisislandlife.com/travel/swimming-with-humpback-whales-an-interview-with-scott-portelli
http://www.thisislandlife.com/travel/swimming-with-humpback-whales-in-vavau-tonga
This year we started the Tongan Fluke Collective, which encourages visiting photographers to donate Fluke shots to help ID the different individual whales that come to Tonga each year. You can find out more about the program here: https://www.facebook.com/
If you want to see some of the Video footage you can see this season’s wrap up here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcreHs7qcq0
