Tu’ungasika Snorkeling

August 22, 2014

If you enter the Vava’u island group from the north, most likely you will enter around the southwest end of the main island of ‘Uta Vava’u.  Somewhat of a channel is formed between that island and the smaller islands of Hunga, Nuapapu, and Kapa, which lay to the south.  In the middle of that channel are some very small, uninhabited islands, more like large rocks really.  Once while staying at Port Maurelle, we took a day dinghy trip out to the one called Tu’ungasika for some of the best snorkeling we had seen so far in Tonga.  It was a long dinghy ride, but conditions were calm, so it was comfortable.  We went to the north side of the island first where there was great snorkeling, although a lot of what there was to see was deep.  I had been working on holding my breath longer and diving down, so I was enjoying practicing and seeing a lot of bigger fish.  I think this may have been the first day I wore a weight belt.  There were also rocks to climb up, so of course the boys had fun climbing up and jumping off.  Later, we dinghied around to the east side of the island to explore some caves.  I was basically the dinghy babysitter, since there was nowhere to anchor, while Tim and the boys poked around in every hole and crevice they could find. It was good boy fun, and they really enjoyed themselves.  Overall, it was one of our most enjoyable family snorkel days so far.