Our Story

A lifetime rich in travel experiences, exploring and playing on and in the sea.

Whale Discoveries is a business run by the Sheen family (with help from some very special friends who share their ideals, passions and love of the natural world).

“We have over 20 years of experience with charters and tourism on the ocean. We have a quest for adventure - to walk, swim and sail the path un-ventured. We move lightly, leaving only goodwill and taking only great memories.“

Introducing The Sheen family:

Dave (Dad) is Australian-born and got his first foamy surfboard at 6 and was surfing competently by the age of nine. At 19 Dave developed a great love for wave sailing (windsurfing) and he excelled at the sport, going on to join the world pro-tour. Dave claimed 3 Australian national titles and lived for years in the windsurfing paradise of Maui, Hawaii, where he trained and competed. Nowadays splitting his watersport time between surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, SUP foiling, standup paddle boarding, free diving and catamaran sailing he is a true ocean-man. Dave is an amazing skipper with a raw knowledge of the elements and is a modern day seafarer with over 250,000 sea miles at the helm. From skippering and owning a multitude of different vessels he has gained a broad knowledge of boat performance and navigation, not to mention how to problem solve and fix things in the remote wilds under all circumstances.

Tris (Mum) was born in Nigeria, growing up with the exotic animals her parents rescued from local markets. Tris travelled the world from the age of 5 with her sister and artistic parents including stints living out of Kombi (camper) vans through Europe and in the snow of winter Wales. Her parents eventually settled in the countryside of SW Western Australia, where she grew up in true Aussie outdoors style. This upbringing has instilled in her a love of travelling and the natural environment, as well as expressing herself creatively. Tris studied fine arts at university and went on to be a successful artist in her home region. All creatures great and small reside in Tris’ heart. Making a home in Tonga, the family adopted many local ponies, several rescued dogs and a flock of friendly chickens. Tris was introduced to snorkelling at a very young age and has loved all things ocean ever since. It was inevitable she would fall in love with whales and has been swimming and interacting with a variety of marine megafauna for over 30 years. She is a true whale addict and loves analysing their behaviour.

Tris and Dave made two magical children, Kai and Dior. The family travelled and sailed the world together sharing challenges and triumphs, new discoveries and adventures. When they fell in love with Tonga and established Whale Discoveries in 2010, Kai was 9 and Dior was 7. Within a few years the two kids had become, not only global travellers, but certified scuba and free divers as well. They could dive, sail, climb coconut trees and had, generally speaking, mastered their universe. Home schooling and distance education meant the Sheens could live on and in the ocean constantly. They established a family home on Nomuka Island which later became the Lolofutu Beach Barn.

The catamaran Wildlife was bought specifically for the purpose of whale swimming in Tonga. The whole family was involved in operating the live-aboard sailing charters, between them covering all the tasks involved with full-time living, working and playing on the sea.

Dior Sheen has grown up at sea and is most at home on it or, better still, in it. Travelling the world all her life, she has acquired many skills including freediving, surfing, windsurfing, horse riding, snow boarding and vet nurse experience. Dior is a self-taught videographer with a naturally keen eye and has studied in the field as well. She has a passion to share her world and adventures through her self-produced films which feature on her YouTube channel.

A life of conducting tourism and entertaining guests alongside her parents has given Dior a passion for making great food. Taking inspiration from the exotic ingredients found in Tonga, her mother’s cooking and the creativity of other family and friends, Dior just loves to serve up something exciting, tasty and healthy.

The lifestyle described above can sound pretty idyllic but the Sheen family story isn’t immune from harsh realities and in 2017 Kai, their rock of a son, brother, friend and co-worker was devastatingly taken from Dave, Tris & Dior in a tragic accident. The loss has left the Sheens understandably changed forever. 

However, that blow wasn’t the end of recent challenges for the Sheen family. The whole world has been rocked by COVID in various ways and the Sheens have been no exception. Dior was separated from Dave & Tris for a year because of Tonga’s strict travel bans and without tourist travel in Tonga, the family had no income from 2019 - 2022. Dave and Tris remained on Nomuka Island for the first year of travel bans, alongside the small Tongan community there. During this time they experienced a cyclone that forced them to rebuild their beloved home base, ‘Beach Barn’, in a safer location on the property. Thankfully Dior managed to return to Tonga in late 2020 to help with this huge task but during this same period Dave was prevented from getting to Australia for the passing of his mother which was incredibly distressing for him.

In December 2021, Dave, Tris and Dior set sail for New Zealand after many months spent securing a special entry permit. They desperately needed to see family and undertake upgrades on SY Wildlife. They left their beautiful, self-sustainable, 100% off-grid home, 4 dogs, 2 horses, a cat and much loved chickens in the good hands of local friend Sam and his family. They had no idea they would never see their home again.

On January 15th, 2022, the Hunga Tonga volcano - visible from the Beach Barn - erupted in one of the biggest explosions ever recorded on planet Earth! It sent a tsunami wave through the islands that completely destroyed the west coast of Tongatapu and Nomuka, where the Sheen’s family home, business base and accommodation resort was situated. After 3 torturous weeks of waiting for word regarding how Nomuka had been impacted, they were relived to finally heard that Sam and his family had survived - as had the dogs and horses. But their home, their base, the infrastructure, belongings and island-based life they had established were completely gone leaving only a few house stumps to record where it once had been.

These setbacks have been incredibly challenging but through their work, their involvement in nature & wild frontiers and their experiences with the majestic whales, the Sheens continue to embrace life - living it with passion, resilience and an unflinching dedication to one another. In 2023, they find themselves back where they started ?? years ago, sailing into Tongan waters aboard their beautiful catamaran, determined to strive for a happy, productive life and to introduce the wonders of the Tongan archipelago to like-minded nature lovers.

Surrounded by people they cherish and their unflinching dedication to one another, Dave, Tris and Dior take on life with big hearts, true passion and a desire to share and inspire. With their dedication to nurture and care for the environment, this is a family and a business like no other.

The Sheen family exemplify the concept that life’s best mentors and guides are those that have explored and adventured, loved and embraced, and experienced both triumph & adversity to the extent that this family has.

“We are so lucky to engage with this blue planet for such a short and precious time - don’t wait, live!”