Have you been following along with all of my Niue posts? If you have, then by now you know Niue has some seriously unique geography. Niue is a coral atoll in the middle of the South Pacific. It withstands the beating of ocean waves against its limestone shores resulting in some truly stunning coastal rock formations.
During my time in Niue, I had the chance to venture out and explore some of the island’s most famous natural geographical wonders. I also stumbled upon a few lesser known, but equally as beautiful locations. Whether hiking through the jungle, strolling down sea tracks, or biking across the entire island, I trekked my way across the bumpy “Rock of Polynesia” only to be wowed again and again.
The SCUBA diving in Niue is world class. And it's a lot different than the experience I had diving elsewhere over this past year. I received my diving certification from Ko Tao in Thailand a year ago. Since then I went diving in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. These dive sites were amazing but none of them had the underwater creatures or rock formations Niue had!
Before arriving to Niue, I had heard about its amazingly high visibility and unique sea snakes populating the waters. I had also heard about the possibility of bumping into, or at the very least hearing the songs of, humpback whales while diving there. What topped it all for me were Niue's extravagant underwater caves and catacombs! I had a top notch experience diving Bubble Cave, Snake Gully, and other cavernous dive sites around Niue where the creepy and the beautiful come together under the sea.
While diving in Niue I had the most incredible animal experience. Several pods of humpback whales were in the area. They were singing and talking to each other the entire time we were diving. We couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation as it only got louder and LOUDER.
By the time my fellow divers and I were preparing for our safety stop, the whales' singing became so loud I was sure they would emerge out of the deep ocean blue ahead and swim right by us. My camera easily captured the beautiful cacophony as we waited to ascend to the surface.
Whales and dolphins bring in the majority of the few thousand tourists who visit Niue every year. This South Pacific island country and “coral atoll” has the ideal conditions for seeing (and hearing) these beautiful marine creatures who play within 50 meters off shore. It’s also one of the few places in the world allowing visitors the chance at getting in the water to swim with whales in their natural habitat!
The whales and dolphins were a bit too preoccupied to swim with us during my time in Niue. But I had an amazing experience seeing them almost every day and closer than I ever have before. I also became a bit of an expert on the tours offering the chance to swim with them. While the tour company we used turned out to be a huge disappointment, the other one we heard about may be your ticket to a better experience!
On a remote island like Niue, getting to know the locals is as easy as stepping outside your guesthouse door. A cultural exchange with a local was bound to happen—we just had no idea when or how. We met the Tongia family from nearby Tonga on our 3rd day in Niue. Palemia, a shuttle driver for Matavai resort, gave us a ride home from dinner.
He then offered Jono a chance at free diving with a local spear-fisherman. As a thanks, we offered to help him and his wife, Louna, with their farm work. We ended up planting potatoes through the middle of the night and enjoying other wonderful cultural exchanges with this delightful little Tongan family who live and work in Niue.
Niue has some stunningly crystal clear waters and insanely beautiful coastal rock formations. The tides flow in and pools form across reef flats and into chasms in the rocks just off the island’s shores. There is easy access down to the pools which are deep enough to swim in, safe from the ocean currents behind the coral wall, and teeming with marine life best viewed at low tide.
These features make for some of the most epic snorkeling conditions imaginable. In this post, I share my favorite snorkel locations on the island, including lots of photos and even a video of an epic off-the-beaten path find!
For a whole year I kept up with posting personal updates on my long-term travel experience at the start of every month. These anticipated check-in posts held me accountable to sharing my most personal thoughts as I embarked on my first continuous travel adventure around the world.
I’m glad I did these check-ins for my "year of deviation." But now that I’m in the 13th month of my travels, it’s time for a new focus. As part of my new monthly updates I will be reviewing a different travel hack of my choice—or yours!
![Humpback whales singing underwater: A Niue diving experience [Video]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b6ec86e4b09a1fb529c6b8/1453654428219-2SE49P6Y3MYN8AQ1N9ZY/image-asset.jpeg)
![Attempting to swim with whales and dolphins in Niue [Video]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b6ec86e4b09a1fb529c6b8/1489712629493-0EH4S87BJPDKFWE2WIH6/dolphinniue2.png)
