Independent site, not affiliated with NOAA or the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Register and find official results at oceancount.org.

Ocean Count sites on Kauaʻi

KPNWR-Crater Hill, in the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, averaged 4.98 humpback whales per 15-minute count period on the 55 Ocean Count mornings from 2007 to 2026 when it reported, the highest of any Kauaʻi site counted on at least 20 mornings. KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse averaged 4.97 over 43 mornings, and Ahukini State Recreation Pier averaged 1.47 over 59.

Map of Kauaʻi. 14 public Ocean Count shore sites are drawn as dots sized by the average number of whales seen per 15-minute scan; a colored band offshore smooths those site averages along the coast, over a gray layer of relative whale density at sea from 1993–2003 aerial surveys. Highest: Crater Hill (Kīlauea refuge) (5.0), Kīlauea Lighthouse (5.0), Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi (4.9).
Average whales seen per 15-minute scan at every Kauaʻi shore count site, 2007 to 2026; bigger dots and a redder coast mean more whales. Gray is whale density at sea from the 1993 to 2003 aerial surveys (data courtesy of Joseph R. Mobley Jr.); outlines and roads © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The biggest change from the 2007 to 2011 span to the 2022 to 2026 span is at Cliffs at Princeville: 4.32 whales per period in the earlier span and 2.47 in the later one. Of the 12 sites counted in both spans, 9 had a lower average in the later span and 3 a higher one.

The sanctuary’s 2010 report covers the counts of 2002 to 2010. Among sites with values in at least seven of its nine seasons, KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse has the highest average: 5.41 over 27 counts. KPNWR-Crater Hill, the top site from 2007 to 2026, averaged 3.93 over 27 counts.

The official maps and results sheets from 2007 to 2026 list 15 count sites on Kauaʻi, and 11 of them reported in 2026. The program publishes the official site map; registration is only at oceancount.org. We are an independent site, not part of NOAA or the program.

We haven’t visited the Kauaʻi sites. Everything on this page comes from the program’s results sheets and maps and from OpenStreetMap. This page has no parking, facilities or access details. Your site leader sends the meeting time and place before each count.

Whales per count period at each site

For 2002 to 2010 the figures come from the sanctuary’s 2010 report (Cullum 2010), which prints each site’s average for every count as a whole number. We typed its tables in by hand. The 2002–2010 column is our average of those printed values, so it carries their rounding.

For the 59 counts from 2007 to 2026, the results sheets print site tables; the 2007 to 2011 and 2015 to 2025 ones are images we typed in. From them we compute each site’s figure: the average number of whales, adults plus calves, per 15-minute period that the site reported. The island averages on the sheets match this calculation in 118 of the 128 printed averages we could check, and in 121 once four probable misprint cells are left out; our methods page lists the ones that don’t.

Dot plot of 15 Kauaʻi Ocean Count sites. For each site, the average number of humpback whales (adults plus calves) per 15-minute count period over the counts of 2007 to 2011 and of 2022 to 2026 where the site reported. A gray ring marks the mean of the whole-number site averages printed in the sanctuary's 2010 report for the counts of 2002 to 2010. Highest 2007 to 2011 value: 5.26 at KPNWR-Crater Hill. Highest 2022 to 2026 value: 5.07 at KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse. Highest 2002 to 2010 value: 5.41 at KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse.
Average whales per 15-minute count period at each site. 2002–2010: our average of the whole-number site averages printed in the sanctuary’s 2010 report. 2007 to 2011 and 2022 to 2026 (dots), and 2012 to 2016 and 2017 to 2021 (table only): computed from the site tables on the preliminary results sheets. Sources: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary; Cullum (2010); compiled by sanctuaryoceancount.org.
Kauaʻi: average whales per 15-minute count period, by site. Report counts: the 2010-report counts with a value. Counts: the mornings from 2007 to 2026 when the site reported.
Site2002–2010Report counts2007–20112012–20162017–20212022–2026Counts
KPNWR-Crater Hill3.93275.266.543.424.3755
KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse5.41274.996.652.865.0743
Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi4.69264.726.594.483.4556
Makahūʻena Point4.56274.556.24.34.0357
Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail––4.935.691.41–28
Pacific Missile Range Facility3.76254.54.921.54.3648
Lumahaʻi Lookout2.73263.514.822.33–33
Cliffs at Princeville––4.3243.252.4746
Ninini Lighthouse3.23263.144.773.233.6854
Kapaʻa Lookout3.33272.393.722.944.1959
Kaʻiwa Point3.2252.594.761.741.7345
Poʻipū Beach Park2.7272.793.712.191.8356
Waimea Canyon Drive2.67213.092.290.81–26
Port Allen Cemetery2.71243.083.011.711.6358
Ahukini State Recreation Pier2.56271.612.390.940.8959

The chart below shows every count at every Kauaʻi site with 15 or more count mornings, one column per count and one row per site, darker for more whales per 15-minute scan. Read down a column to compare sites on one morning, and along a row to see how steady a site is. Rows are sorted by overall average: KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse tops the list with 5.0 whales per scan over the mornings it reported. Empty cells are counts the site did not report.

Heatmap of 15 Kauaʻi Ocean Count sites by count morning, 2007 to 2026, shaded by whales seen per 15-minute scan; KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse has the highest overall average.
Whales per 15-minute scan at each Kauaʻi site on each count morning, 2007 to 2026, for sites with 15 or more count mornings (adults plus calves, averaged over the scans the site reported). Sorted by each site’s overall average. Source: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary results sheets; compiled by sanctuaryoceancount.org.

Whales per 15-minute scan at each Kauaʻi site, by count (yy-mm); – means no count reported
Site07-0107-0207-0308-0108-0208-0309-0109-0209-0310-0110-0310-0311-0111-0211-0312-0112-0212-0313-0113-0213-0314-0114-0214-0315-0115-0215-0316-0116-0216-0317-0117-0217-0318-0118-0218-0319-0119-0219-0320-0120-0221-0121-0221-0322-0122-0222-0323-0123-0223-0324-0124-0224-0325-0125-0225-0326-0126-0226-03
KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse5.36.23.91.98.25.87.14.65.95.02.63.75.48.30.411.64.04.8–4.48.25.19.35.86.99.24.6–––2.03.04.44.62.41.8–5.00.2–2.3–––9.85.22.12.93.49.8–––––––5.02.3
KPNWR-Crater Hill3.04.44.11.112.04.811.63.95.31.60.63.111.17.1–13.33.81.75.98.64.14.69.14.410.010.02.812.45.02.03.02.14.73.81.41.7–7.30.35.72.33.13.84.16.64.43.32.20.34.93.92.5–9.06.44.76.7–1.8
Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi7.76.76.0–11.14.46.62.00.75.80.02.35.84.41.811.47.60.47.97.23.69.012.62.911.86.41.311.94.90.07.32.11.63.03.1–6.710.30.96.12.96.81.0–5.26.60.21.30.52.21.04.41.36.25.41.37.34.60.1
Makahūʻena Point9.93.85.12.37.02.414.82.31.33.30.83.16.34.11.611.614.90.69.95.93.66.25.16.29.86.62.16.64.10.09.83.61.32.72.20.45.29.01.96.63.8––5.15.35.41.12.02.35.21.84.20.06.35.81.811.02.30.4
Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail7.76.05.61.38.92.76.72.31.3––2.16.86.1––––8.75.91.49.7–3.112.85.60.67.71.6–4.30.70.61.90.9–––––––0.1––––––––––––––––
Pacific Missile Range Facility7.46.84.16.46.02.86.23.63.03.2–3.31.86.12.01.21.10.116.07.810.18.93.94.03.96.01.93.62.62.2–0.90.71.81.11.60.94.11.21.11.7–––––––––5.96.41.94.84.70.12.15.97.7
Lumahaʻi Lookout2.03.63.91.93.42.98.61.13.20.02.83.07.77.31.28.95.72.711.03.00.71.39.35.03.30.03.9–4.41.8–2.21.61.83.8––––––––––––––––––––––––
Ninini Lighthouse4.61.31.2–6.91.26.30.20.90.01.42.18.26.01.213.74.02.08.03.15.47.43.23.06.95.81.15.62.00.36.23.61.14.21.41.11.71.10.07.2–3.22.09.15.73.25.10.1–0.35.62.2–7.22.40.26.96.1–
Cliffs at Princeville6.96.63.71.96.95.99.73.24.72.22.62.23.14.40.34.02.40.96.73.23.53.06.42.46.03.53.67.94.11.83.22.73.12.23.70.04.39.81.60.62.4–––––––––––––2.70.72.85.01.2
Kapaʻa Lookout3.62.93.11.64.94.33.30.52.20.30.60.81.65.00.77.92.60.62.11.72.17.32.72.06.15.34.84.85.10.42.70.71.47.22.40.52.24.10.46.63.82.11.94.37.85.02.21.22.03.38.92.12.98.22.63.65.23.84.0
Kaʻiwa Point4.71.22.32.93.91.1––0.92.90.21.66.93.31.26.1––5.25.94.44.48.62.110.36.20.94.43.20.01.40.22.31.81.60.03.21.92.11.13.21.31.31.73.92.40.0–––1.4–0.9––––––
Poʻipū Beach Park4.73.01.12.05.11.16.32.01.02.30.73.15.42.71.23.65.90.13.33.42.26.36.11.89.46.01.33.92.20.03.11.70.31.10.40.52.95.01.75.12.1–––2.03.30.00.60.11.71.62.61.34.12.70.25.02.20.1
Waimea Canyon Drive4.75.72.14.43.20.4–––1.7–0.17.62.71.43.01.9––2.60.03.11.41.95.11.30.04.72.4–1.40.20.7––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Port Allen Cemetery5.73.71.14.12.70.42.42.00.74.01.23.79.64.70.36.43.00.42.82.64.13.24.01.95.83.61.74.21.60.02.10.31.11.90.30.05.02.22.61.61.32.8–1.02.11.22.00.00.33.12.62.20.81.10.80.35.22.60.6
Ahukini State Recreation Pier3.20.40.00.72.80.48.31.11.70.61.20.71.10.90.93.71.11.01.01.11.95.32.90.76.63.80.82.03.30.70.92.41.13.00.00.00.20.20.01.60.60.70.31.60.82.01.40.10.00.01.70.10.02.72.20.70.40.70.6

The report also has values for Mahaulepu Haula, its site #8 (5.96 over 24 counts), and Princeville Hotel, its site #2 (4 over 27 counts). The program’s 2007 handbook gives the same numbers to those names, and on its 2026 map the numbers belong to #8 Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail and #2 Cliffs at Princeville. We can’t tell whether the renamed sites mark the same spots, so we leave these values out of the chart and tables.

We leave one printed cell out of these averages, a probable misprint that our methods page lists with the reason. The island averages for every count are in the tables on our data page.

Site averages by season, 2002 to 2026

For 2002 to 2006 each cell is our average of the report’s whole-number values for that season’s January, February and March counts; from 2007 we compute it from the site tables, over every period the site reported that season. A dash means no value: the site was not counted.

Kauaʻi: average whales per 15-minute count period, by site and season, 2002 to 2026 (2002–2006 from the 2010 report; 2007–2026 from the results sheets' site tables)
Site2002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026
KPNWR-Crater Hill4.332.333.3324.673.855.966.931.749.116.266.276.087.596.483.262.483.8343.674.772.483.246.74.22
KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse5.6734.6777.675.155.426.093.524.746.785.796.746.89–3.152.932.612.33–5.75.37––3.67
Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi474.333.3346.787.783.212.746.486.228.156.525.593.673.065.964.5541.552.784.334
Makahūʻena Point65.673.673.673.676.263.936.152.41496.445.856.153.564.891.785.375.175.113.963.353.064.634.59
Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail–––––6.414.33.762.116.44–5.336.396.34.611.851.39––0.11–––––
Pacific Missile Range Facility3.50.673.333.6746.115.074.263.283.350.8111.35.593.932.770.781.482.071.39–––4.693.195.22
Lumahaʻi Lookout1.6712.333.6733.152.744.31.885.415.746.15.223.253.111.892.78––––––––
Cliffs at Princeville–––––5.74.896.452.332.632.444.583.964.654.5932.525.221.5––––1.673
Ninini Lighthouse4642.673.332.374.062.541.525.156.565.524.564.592.633.632.260.937.224.854.670.223.893.156.5
Kapaʻa Lookout2.6744.6745.333.193.592.210.562.413.671.9645.413.441.593.752.265.172.7852.194.634.784.33
Kaʻiwa Point47.672.672.332.672.742.630.891.564.266.115.195.045.812.561.331.432.412.171.442.11–1.17––
Poʻipū Beach Park2.6723.672.3332.932.743.112.043.113.1934.745.592.041.70.693.193.61–1.780.781.812.332.44
Waimea Canyon Drive3.51.3333.671.54.152.7–0.893.892.441.282.152.153.560.81–––––––––
Port Allen Cemetery–4.331.672.672.333.482.411.72.964.853.33.153.043.671.931.190.743.261.441.891.781.151.740.742.78
Ahukini State Recreation Pier5.675.331.671.332.331.221.33.920.810.961.931.332.963.721.481.290.151.060.851.410.040.591.850.56

Pooled across all Kauaʻi sites and all 59 counts with site tables, the average per site and period ran from 2.98 in the 12:00 period to 4.17 in the 8:30 period. The time-of-morning chart for all three islands is on the count sites page.

Every designated site

Outline map of Kauaʻi with 8 numbered count sites: 3 KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse; 4 KPNWR-Crater Hill; 6 Ahukini State Recreation Pier; 7 Ninini Lighthouse; 8 Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail; 9 Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi; 10 Makahūʻena Point; 11 Poʻipū Beach Park. Filled dots were counted in 2026 (7 sites); rings were last counted earlier. 7 sites without a pinned location are not shown.
Count sites on Kauaʻi with a pinned location, numbered as in the table below. Coastline and positions © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

The list follows the program’s site numbers. KPNWR is the Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. Years are the first and last on a results sheet with data for the site. The “Seasons in the 2010 report” column gives the first and last season with a value in the report.

Coordinates are the named place in OpenStreetMap, checked against the official map marker. They are not a verified count spot. “Not pinned” means the only match was a nearby town, park or road, or none at all.

Ocean Count sites on Kauaʻi, 2007 to 2026
#SiteYears on a results sheetSeasons in the 2010 reportStatusLocation (OpenStreetMap)
1Lumahaʻi Lookout2007–20182002–2010Last counted 2018Not pinned: only a nearby place matched
2Cliffs at Princeville2007–2026–Counted in 2026Not pinned: only a nearby place matched
3KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202622.2317, -159.4020
4KPNWR-Crater Hill2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202622.2233, -159.3952
5Kapaʻa Lookout2007–20262002–2010Counted in 2026Not pinned: not found in OpenStreetMap
6Ahukini State Recreation Pier2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202621.9925, -159.3319
7Ninini Lighthouse2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202621.9550, -159.3358
8Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail2007–2021–Last counted 202121.8880, -159.4190
9Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202621.8739, -159.4357
10Makahūʻena Point2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202621.8684, -159.4443
11Poʻipū Beach Park2007–20262002–2010Counted in 202621.8732, -159.4529
12Kaʻiwa Point2007–20242002–2010Last counted 2024Not pinned: only a nearby place matched
13Port Allen Cemetery2007–20262003–2010Counted in 2026Not pinned: only a nearby place matched
14Waimea Canyon Drive2007–20172002–2010Last counted 2017Not pinned: only a nearby place matched
15Pacific Missile Range Facility2007–20262002–2010Counted in 2026Not pinned: only a nearby place matched

Eight of the 15 sites have a pinned location. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License. Site names are spelled as the program prints them on its 2026 map, its 2007 handbook or, for sites no longer on the map, its last results sheet. We write the ʻokina where a sheet prints a straight apostrophe.

To take part in the next count, register at oceancount.org.