Sanctuary Ocean Count 2010 results by island and site

The highest island figure for 2010 is 6 whales per site per 15-minute period, for Hawaiʻi Island in January. The lowest is 1, for Kauaʻi in February. March was the lowest or tied for lowest of the three figures on Hawaiʻi Island, but not on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu.

The 2010 Sanctuary Ocean Count ran on three Saturday mornings: January 30, March 6 and March 27. We list the island averages stated in the press releases, and each site’s average per count, computed from the sheets’ site tables.

The February count moved from February 27 to March 6 after a tsunami warning, and one press release covers both March counts. The results sheets from this season print no island averages.

Island figures, 2010

The press releases print whole numbers and don’t say how they round.

Island figures for the 2010 counts: average whales per site per 15-minute count period, as printed (– means no figure)
Count	Kauaʻi	Oʻahu	Hawaiʻi Island	Source
January January 30	2	3	6	press release
February March 6 (moved from February 27)	1	2	4	press release
March March 27	2	3	3	press release

Headcount and sites reporting, 2010

What the 2010 press releases give for each count
Count	Headcount	Sites reporting
January	more than 800 volunteers	59

2010 averages by count site

The highest 2010 site value for a single count is 22, at Lapakahi State Historical Park on Hawaiʻi Island in January.

We computed each figure from the results sheet’s site table: whales seen, adults plus calves, averaged over the 15-minute periods that site reported. A dash means the site reported no period that morning. Site names follow our sites list; the sheets’ spellings vary. The sheets print these tables as images, and we typed them in by hand.

Kauaʻi, 2010: average whales (adults plus calves) per 15-minute period at each site, computed from the results sheet's site table
No.	Site	January	February	March
1	Lumahaʻi Lookout	0	2.75	3
2	Cliffs at Princeville	2.22	2.56	2.22
3	KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse	5	2.56	3.67
4	KPNWR-Crater Hill	1.56	0.56	3.11
5	Kapaʻa Lookout	0.33	0.56	0.78
6	Ahukini State Recreation Pier	0.56	1.22	0.67
7	Ninini Lighthouse	0	1.44	2.11
8	Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail	–	–	2.11
9	Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi	5.78	0	2.33
10	Makahūʻena Point	3.33	0.78	3.11
11	Poʻipū Beach Park	2.33	0.67	3.11
12	Kaʻiwa Point	2.89	0.22	1.56
13	Port Allen Cemetery	4	1.22	3.67
14	Waimea Canyon Drive	1.67	–	0.11
15	Pacific Missile Range Facility	3.22	–	3.33

Oʻahu, 2010: average whales (adults plus calves) per 15-minute period at each site, computed from the results sheet's site table
No.	Site	January	February	March
1	Ewa Beach Park	0.67	0.11	1.22
2	Ko ʻOlina	1.89	0.56	0
3	Māʻili Point	2.44	3.67	3
4	Mākua Cave	2	5.44	2.56
5	Kaʻena Point (West Shore)	3.22	3.78	3.11
6	Kaʻena Point (North Shore)	10.78	7	6.22
7	Mokulēʻia Beach Park	6.56	2	4.78
8	Puaʻena Point	1.11	1.33	2.22
9	Shark's Cove	6.11	5	6.44
10	Turtle Bay Resort	3.11	–	4.33
11	Lāʻie Point	4.67	3.67	4.44
12	Hauʻula Beach Park	0.67	–	–
13	Kualoa Ranch (Bunkers)	–	0.78	2.89
14	Pyramid Rock	2.33	–	5.11
15	Mōkapu Point (Monument Point Overlook)	6.22	0.56	2.67
16	Lanikai	3.67	0.33	2.44
17	Waimānalo Beach Park	3	0	0.11
18	Makapuʻu Lighthouse	–	4.11	3.67
19	Hālona Blowhole	3	2.33	3.89
20	Lānaʻi Lookout	3.44	2.67	3.67
21	Hanauma Bay	2.89	3.11	3.11
22	Spitting Caves	2.67	2.67	1.11
23	Diamond Head	1.22	3	3.67
24	Magic Island	0.67	0.11	1.11
25	Kakaʻako Beach Park	–	0.78	1.22

Hawaiʻi Island, 2010: average whales (adults plus calves) per 15-minute period at each site, computed from the results sheet's site table
No.	Site	January	February	March
1	Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park	1.22	0	0.22
2	Ka Lae Park	6.89	5	2.67
3	Miloliʻi Lookout	5	0.78	0.44
4	Hoʻokena Beach Park	1.89	0	0.11
5	Hōnaunau Lookout	1	–	0
6	Keauhou Scenic Lookout	3.33	0.33	0
7	Keāhole Point (OTEC)	6	2.11	0.11
8	Hualālai (Four Seasons Resort)	4.11	1.67	2.67
9	Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park	11.11	17.11	8.89
10	Mile Marker 7	21.56	17.67	11.11
11	Lapakahi State Historical Park	22	9.11	9.22
12	Kapaʻa Beach Park	8.89	7.22	4.22
13	Old Coast Guard Road	3.89	–	5.78
14	ʻUpolu Point	10.44	4.62	5.11
15	Waipiʻo Valley lookout	5.11	1.78	1.78
16	Laupāhoehoe Scenic Lookout	3.33	1.83	2.22
17	Onekahakaha Beach Park (Hilo Bay)	6.22	3.56	3.11
18	Kumukahi Lighthouse	2.33	0.44	0
19	Kehena Lookout	1.22	–	0.78
–	ʻŌʻōkala	1.22	0.88	0.56

Sources

We link to each document rather than copy it. Where the original page is gone, the link goes to its Internet Archive copy.

Press release, January 30 (Internet Archive copy)
Press release, March 6 (Internet Archive copy)
Results sheet, January 30 (Internet Archive copy)
Results sheet with site table (Internet Archive copy)
Results sheet with site table (Internet Archive copy)
Cullum, A. M. (2010). Sanctuary Ocean Count: Analysis of Humpback Whale Census and Behavior Data 2002-2010, part 1 (Internet Archive copy)
Cullum, A. M. (2010). Sanctuary Ocean Count: Analysis of Humpback Whale Census and Behavior Data 2002-2010, part 2 (Internet Archive copy)
Cullum, A. M. (2010). Sanctuary Ocean Count: Analysis of Humpback Whale Census and Behavior Data 2002-2010, part 3 (Internet Archive copy)

The official record is on oceancount.org, and you register for the next count there too. The island figures on this page, and the site-table cells behind its site averages, are also in our download files; the methods page compares how each source averages and rounds its figures. This site is independent and not part of NOAA or the Sanctuary Ocean Count.