#Nainoa Thompson

Whale Trust concluded its 20th anniversary Whale Tales event in Kapalua last month, drawing hundreds of attendees to discuss the latest humpback whale research and the future of global ocean health.

Whale Trust will present Listening to the Ocean: An Evening of Conversation with Ocean Elders on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026 at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua, as part of its 20th Annual Whale Tales celebration. The special event will bring together internationally recognized leaders in ocean science, exploration, and conservation for an evening of discussion focused on the future of the world’s oceans.

Whale Tales 2026, a Maui-based ocean conservation event, celebrates its 20th anniversary this February at The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua featuring Nainoa Thompson, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and more.

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, Hawaii’s iconic voyaging canoes, are on the final days of the 15th leg of the Moananuiākea Voyage, a deep-sea sail from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, to Aotearoa (New Zealand). Today marks Day 16 of the journey, with the crews reporting steady progress and strong spirits despite encountering challenging weather conditions. Challenging conditions yield […]

As part of the Moananuiākea Voyage, the Polynesian Voyaging Society reports that voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia will soon depart Rarotonga, Cook Islands, for Aotearoa (New Zealand).

The event celebrated the historic milestone of more than 60 ratifications of the United Nations High Seas Treaty and called for more nations to join and secure lasting protection for half the planet.

The crews of Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia were welcomed by the village of Tautira in a series of cultural engagements that honored the nearly 50-year relationship between the canoes and this cherished Tahitian community.

Following their historic arrival in Papeʻetē on June 28, Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia hosted dozens of schoolchildren, families, and community members aboard the canoes. This week, the crew of both canoes resumed their journey through the islands of French Polynesia, beginning with a meaningful and emotional four-day stop in Mataiea, Tahiti.

Voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrived in Papeʻetē yesterday to a celebration that brought together thousands of people from across Tahiti, Hawaiʻi, and beyond. Accompanied by Tahitian voyaging canoe Fa‘afaite, a fleet of smaller canoes, paddlers, and jet skis, the vessels sailed into the harbor in a moment that honored half a century of Hōkūleʻa’s legacy and the ancestral relationship between Hawaiʻi and French Polynesia.

On Tuesday, at approximately 9:45 a.m., the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia, accompanied by Tahiti’s canoe Fa‘afaite, arrived at their first stop in French Polynesia: Taputapuātea.

Nearly a week since departing Hilo, Hawaiʻi Island, the voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia are making steady progress on their sail to French Polynesia, the first international leg that resumes the Moananuiākea Voyage. After six days at sea, the canoes are on course and now approximately halfway to the equator.

 The four-year journey spans an estimated 43,000 nautical miles, 36 countries and archipelagoes, nearly 100 Indigenous territories and more than 400 ports.

As the Eiffel Tower is symbolically illuminated in blue, the two ocean advocates presented French President Macron with the SOS Ocean Manifesto at the lead-up event to UNOC-3

Senate Bill 529 SD1 relating to education seeks to appropriate funds to expand the Hoʻākea Program, an educational initiative that integrates Hawaiian cultural practices with academic subjects to engage students and promote environmental stewardship.

Polynesian Voyaging Society prepares to mark 5 decades of legendary iconic traditional double-hulled voyaging canoe reviving the Hawaiian culture, advocating for the environment and renewing a connection to the Earth and ocean.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society is preparing to celebrate the 50th birthday of Hōkūleʻa, Hawaiʻi’s legendary voyaging canoe, first launched on March 8, 1975.

For the last two weeks, Hōkūleʻa has been docked at Māʻalaea, where the crew has been hosting students and the community for tours and presentations as part of the Pae ʻĀina Statewide Sail. The crew departed Māʻalaea early Friday morning and arrived in Kahoʻolawe later that day.

The Polynesian Voyaging Society has received a $10,000 donation from the Elks Lodge in support of its ongoing mission to perpetuate traditional Polynesian wayfinding and to help fund the organization’s outreach to schools in Hawaiʻi.

The trip is part of continual preparations for the Moananuiākea circumnavigation of the Pacific and will take about one week.

The American Association of Geographers (AAG) has announced Nainoa Thompson as this year’s Honorary Geographer. This annual award recognizes excellence in research, teaching, or writing on geographic topics by non-geographers. Thompson was recognized and gave a presentation at the AAG annual meeting yesterday afternoon. The AAG annual meeting is being held in Honolulu from April 16-20.