French Polynesia is spread out over more than five million square kilometres, an area as vast as Western Europe with 118 islands and atolls. The island of Rurutu lies 572 kilometres south of Tahiti in the Austral archipelago of French Polynesia, one of five archipelagos.
In September 2012 Mary and I spent 8 days at Rurutu Lodge near the northern tip of Rurutu meeting Debs Marshall from the UK. The three of us were there for one reason only - to see Humpback whales. What an incredible experience it was to be so close to these huge creatures, their heads and lower jaws covered in knobs, their pectoral fins seemingly disproportionally large. And it was simply wonderful to watch the interaction with their inquisitive and cute half-ton calves who popped up to the surface every few minutes to breath.
Every year as winter settles in at the South Pole, krill become scarcer, triggering an exodus of Humpbacks to the north and one of their migratory routes is to Rurutu. During their three to four month stay at Rurutu, Humpback males will search for mates, singing powerful songs, possibly to mark their territory and to attract the females they escort. Females who are there to give birth are larger than the males, reaching 13 to 15 metres in length and weighing up to 40 tons.
Mary and I were in luck - 2012 had proved to be a particularly good year for spotting Humpbacks in Rurutu. Axel Lopez of Rurutu Lodge said that there had not been an equivalent number of sightings since 2003, he had observed up to 23 Humpbacks at one time. And indeed Mary and I did see plenty of Humpbacks – sometimes we just had to motor out of one of the harbours for an immediate encounter. We were privileged indeed.