Sisia is an island in

Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...

. It is located within the Vava'u Group in the far north of the country.

History

According to

Tongan mythology Tongan narrative, Tongan mythology, or ancient Tongan religion, sometimes referred to as tala-ē-fonua (meaning, "telling of the land and its people") Māhina, 'Okusitino. (1992The Tongan Traditional History Tala-Ē-Fonua A Vernacular Ecology-Cent ...

, legend affirms that Sisia was created by the god Maui who reached the bottom of the sea and pulled it up to the surface and it became part of the Vava‘u group. The first recorded European to sight Sisia was believed to be Spanish navigator Don

Francisco Antonio Mourelle Francisco Antonio Mourelle de la Rúa (July 17, 1750 – May 24, 1820) was a Spanish Galician naval officer and explorer serving the Spanish crown. He was born in 1750 at San Adrián de Corme (Corme Aldea, Ponteceso), near A Coruña, Gali ...

aboard the ''Princesa'' on 4 March 1781. Since then, Sisia has maintained its own deep-sea

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...

and is a popular tropical haven for

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

Tourism

Sisia is a tropical desert islet with no accommodation facilities. It is surrounded by its white sand beach with beautiful views of blue ocean and serves as an all-day anchorage. In mid-July, Sisia sees a possible activity of

whale watching Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins (cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. ...

References

Islands of Tonga Vavaʻu {{Tonga-geo-stub