Skip to content

~ FINE ART THAT TELLS A STORY ~

~ FREE SHIPPING AUSTRALIA-WIDE ~

~ ADD NATURE'S SERENITY TO YOUR WALL SPACE ~

Search

The Humpback Whales of Tonga

The Humpback Whales of Tonga

Each year, as winter settles over the South Pacific, the turquoise waters of Tonga come alive with the return of one of the ocean’s greatest travellers.

From the frozen expanse of Antarctica, humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) begin an epic 6,000-kilometre pilgrimage. They pass the windswept cliffs of New Zealand’s east coast, follow the ancient volcanic spine beneath the sea, and finally arrive in the sheltered lagoons and deep blue channels of the Tongan archipelago. Here, in the cradle of more than 170 islands, they court, breed, and raise their young — safe from the predators and icy waters of the south.

For more than a decade, Liam has followed their migration, drawn back by the promise of encounters that can’t be planned or scripted. Some days the ocean greets him with glassy calm, sunlight piercing the water. Others - it heaves and swells, challenging his every breath. And then — without warning — a shadow appears. A mother and calf rise from the depths, their immense forms haloed in blue. The low, resonant song of a distant male vibrates through the water, felt as much as heard. In these moments, time slows. Saltwater drifts in the air, the sunlight dances across barnacled skin, and a powerful tail beat disappears into the deep. Through his lens, Liam captures not just the scale of these ocean giants, but the intimacy — the fleeting eye contact, the gentle roll of a curious calf, the quiet connection between species.

For Liam, Tonga is more than a destination. It is a sanctuary where the wild heart of the ocean beats close enough to touch, and where each encounter is a reminder of just how small we are in the presence of such magnificence.

“The great Leviathan is that one creature in the world which must remain unpainted to the last.” ~ Herman Melville, Author, Moby Dick

VIEW COLLECTION >

Back to blog