Ocean Count · 2027 season
Sanctuary Ocean Count 2027: dates, results and how to join
The 2027 Sanctuary Ocean Count runs on January 30, February 27 and March 27, each a Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Volunteers at shore sites on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Molokaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island count every humpback whale they see during a 15-minute scan every half hour. NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary runs the count.
- Saturday · 8:00–12:15Registration Jan 4–Jan 18, noon HST
- Saturday · 8:00–12:15Registration Feb 1–Feb 15, noon HST
- Saturday · 8:00–12:15Registration Mar 1–Mar 15, noon HST
Registration is only on the official site, oceancount.org, and opens 26 days before each count. Our guide to joining the count lists the opening and closing dates for all three 2027 counts. On Maui and Lānaʻi, the Pacific Whale Foundation runs its own Great Whale Count on the same Saturdays, with separate registration.
Results 2016–2026
Ocean Count results, 2016 to 2026
The sanctuary publishes one results sheet per count, with the average number of whales seen per 15-minute period on each island, and labels the figures preliminary. Counting each island's season separately from 2016 to 2026, March had the lowest average of the three counts, or tied for it, in 27 of 32 seasons. Our data page charts the island averages season by season.
The official sheets and press releases since 2018 are on oceancount.org's results page, and the 2016 and 2017 sheets are on the sanctuary's Ocean Count page.
From shore
Listening for whale song and watching from shore
During the season you can often hear humpback song by putting your head underwater at a calm beach. Love Big Island's whale-watching guide explains how to listen for it and compares Hawaiʻi Island boat tours by boat size. Our whale-watching spots page lists lookouts on each island.