Humpback whales: Community science marks 30 years of shoreline counts across Hawaiʻi

Sanctuary Ocean Count marks its 30th anniversary as a shore-based community science program that engages more than 1,000 volunteers across four Hawaiian islands to monitor humpback whales each winter.

Sanctuary Ocean Count is marking its 30th anniversary this January. The program invites the public to monitor marine wildlife from shore at designated coastal sites across Hawaiʻi. It focuses on the humpback whales (koholā) that return each winter to breed, calve, and nurse. The initiative now covers more than 60 sites on four islands and involves over 1,000 volunteers who contribute about 3,000 hours annually. Key facts: - The first Sanctuary Ocean Count took place on Oʻahu in February 1996 with roughly 150 volunteers. - The program now operates at over 60 coastal sites on Oʻahu, Molokaʻi, Hawaiʻi, and Kauaʻi. - Volunteers are trained to record whale surface behaviors such as blows, pectoral-fin/head/tail slaps, breaches, and dives, and to note other species seen that day. - Hawaiʻi hosts an estimated more than 12,000 humpback whales each season, which use the islands as primary breeding, calving, and nursing grounds. - Since 2019, Sanctuary Ocean Count has collaborated with Pacific Whale Foundation's Great Whale Count on Maui to share resources and combine data for statewide views. Summary: The three-decade effort has produced a long-running series of shore-based observations that support research, public awareness, and responsible viewing of koholā. Counts are scheduled for the last Saturday of January, February, and March 2026, and continued data collection contributes to understanding whale distribution and abundance.