2,141 whales observed during the second Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count for 2024

More than 460 volunteers participated in the Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count on Saturday by collecting data on humpback whales from the shores of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Molokaʻi, Hawai‘i, Lānaʻi and Maui.

This was the second of three coordinated whale counts scheduled in 2024 by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and the Pacific Whale Foundation, and the sixth year that both counts are coordinated on the same days to ensure that data from all the main islands are collected simultaneously.

There were a total of 2,141 whales observed throughout the main Hawaiian Islands during the day’s count with 948 whales observed from Maui, 86 from Molokaʻi and 39 from Lānaʻi. On Kaua‘i, the total number of whales observed during the count was 239, on O‘ahu, the total was 363, and on Hawai‘i Island, 466 whales were observed.

The number may represent duplicate sightings of the same whale by different observers or at different time periods or different locations throughout the day.

A total of 289 whales were observed across the 45 sites during the 9:30-9:45 a.m. time period, the most of any time period throughout the day’s count.

Data collected during the Sanctuary Ocean Count and Great Whale Count combined with other research efforts can help reveal trends in humpback whale occurrence within and amongst whale seasons.

Across the main Hawaiian Islands, weather conditions were not ideal for viewing whales with poor visibility across many sites due to rain, high surf and windy conditions. Some sites had to end the count early due to the poor weather conditions. Despite the weather, humpback whales and a variety of other species were still spotted during the count including honu (green sea turtles), ʻilioholoikauaua (Hawaiian monk seals), naiʻa (spinner dolphins), Hāhālua (manta ray) and multiple bird species such as ʻiwa (great frigatebird), mōlī (Laysan albatross), Nēnē (Hawaiian goose), ʻā (brown booby) and more. 

Ocean Count promotes public awareness about humpback whales, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, and shore-based whale watching opportunities. Site leaders tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey, which provides a snapshot of humpback whales’ activity from the shorelines of  Kaua‘i, Oʻahu, Molokaʻi and Hawai‘i islands. Ocean Count is supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

The Great Whale Count by Pacific Whale Foundation had site leaders count whales from shore as part of a long-term survey of humpback whales in Hawai’i, with 12 survey sites along the shoreline of Maui and a new site on the shoreline of Lānaʻi. This event provides a snapshot of trends in relative abundance of whales and is one of the world’s longest-running community science projects.

Both counts take place three times during peak whale season annually on the last Saturday in January, February and March.

• Preliminary data detailing Sanctuary Ocean Count whale sightings by site location are available at: https://oceancount.org/resources/. Additional information is available on the sanctuary’s website at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.
• Pacific Whale Foundation’s Great Whale Count data may be found at: https://www.pacificwhale.org/research/community-science/ with additional information at www.mauiwhalefestival.org