What an amazing adventure! I got SO close to this inquisitive and playful whale calf and we stayed there for over an hour! We had 4 great days of whale encounters, and on the less spectacular day, when the seas got rougher, or when we were just fulfilled with our whale swims, our guys took us to a great reef to snorkel or to a deserted island to just chill. There was another group that was younger and they encountered a competition pod, so a group would jump in the water, watch them pass, get back in the boat to be taken ahead of the pod, then another group would jump in. They can accomodate whatever the group wants..we were more into more sedate encounters, including one with a singing male whose song caused reverberations in my chest! I would absolutely encourage you to get the four passenger trip...there was no waiting for our turn to get in the water, unless there happened to be another boat wanting a turn, but we left very early and were the first ones to find the whales, so that by noon most every day we were ready to come back and explore the island. Ali and Ili were awesome at finding whales and making sure we had the best experience. The boat was comfortable and quick and so much better than my experience in the Silver Banks off the Dominican Republic. The people of Tonga were so friendly and I really enjoyed going to Catholic Mass on Sunday and hearing the Tongan choir! Our accomodations were very comfortable and private, and we even had our own sow and piglets using our carport to rest. Bob picked us up at the airport and made sure we knew our way around Vava'u, reminding us that they drove on the other side of the road....did I mention we had use of a car while we were there?! We had breakfast cooked for us each morning before we left, in addition to daily housekeeping service. I am so glad I decided to make this trip! My photos weren't great but the memories were awesome!! I would definitely encourage you to tack on a few days in Fiji on the way back, because our layover at the small Fiji airport was like 9 hours long and there wasn't much to do...I didn't want to have to cart all my luggage with me, hoping to find a place to get a massage, though planning ahead it probably wouldn't have been too difficult. The experience was phenomenal and Nadia and everyone on her team was so helpful!