LIHUE — Marga Goosen said there was a lot of whale activity at the Ahukini Landing Sanctuary Ocean Count site Saturday morning.
“We saw blows, tails and backs,” said Goosen, who shared site leader duties with Lani Tamanaha-Broadbent at the Ahukini location. “They were all on the far Nawiliwili side, but that was before the count started at 8 a.m. There was nothing going on the Kapaa side.”
Goosen, shepherding 15 volunteers, was one of more than 140 volunteers on Kauai who took part in the Sanctuary Ocean Count coordinated by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
More than 555 volunteers took part in the count at 46 sites throughout the state: 14 sites on Kauai, 20 on Oahu, and 15 sites on Hawaii Island although two were shut early due to heavy rain.
From 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., counters scanned the ocean for marine life, focusing on whales — distinguishing between adults and calves, and their behaviors.
“We had nice weather,” said Jean Souza, the Kauai programs coordinator for the HIHWNMS. “Conditions were excellent for counting — sunny, flat seas and clear weather. We did have early-
morning haze and vog, but that burnt out as the sun climbed in the sky.”
Souza said the average number of whales seen during a 15-minute count period was three whales, down from the 2017 Kauai average of four. The largest number of whales seen was in 2009 when eight whales were seen in the count period.
The Oahu count average was four whales, and two on the Big Island.
Cindy Among-Serrao, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Count project coordinator, said 172 whale sightings were reported statewide.
Kauai’s highest number of sightings came from the Kapaa Lookout site that started out with six adults and a calf seen during the 8 to 8:15 a.m. count period, then eight adults and four calves between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. Kapaa had the greatest activity with an average of seven sightings.
The Poipu Beach Park site had the least number of sightings, but more than 270 people received information about whales, Souza said.
Volunteers are still welcome for the second count on Feb. 24, and the third count on March 31. Register at www.sanctuaryoceancount.org/register
