Spotlight: Whales, Waves and Mammone

2025 French Polynesia Recap

We had yet another wonderful season in French Polynesia swimming with humpback whales. When we first arrived at Rurutu, our little hidden island gem, the air was surprisingly cool, but the whales we met more than made up for it.

No matter how much time we spend in the water with humpbacks, we always see new things. We had a beautiful juvenile whale playing with us over shallow coral, and then we saw something we never expected. We came across a giant calf who had stayed with his mother much longer than the normal one year.

He was at least double the size of a regular calf but acted just the same. We called him “Mammone,” the Italian term for a man who still lives with and relies on his mother long into adulthood.

It’s always a privilege to spend time in French Polynesia, to be in the sun, water, and amongst the fantastic people who live here.