The highest island figure for 2023 is 5 whales per site per 15-minute period, for Hawaiʻi Island in January. The lowest is 1, for Kauaʻi in January and February. March was the lowest or tied for lowest of the three figures on Hawaiʻi Island, but not on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu.
The 2023 Sanctuary Ocean Count ran on three Saturday mornings: January 28, February 25 and March 25. We list the island averages from the preliminary results sheets, and each site’s average per count, computed from the sheets’ site tables.
Island figures, 2023
Each results sheet is titled “Sanctuary Ocean Count Preliminary Data”.
| Count | Kauaʻi | Oʻahu | Hawaiʻi Island | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January January 28 | 1 | 2 | 5 | results sheet |
| February February 25 | 1 | 1.8 | 1.6 | results sheet |
| March March 25 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 1.1 | results sheet |
Headcount and busiest period, 2023
| Count | Headcount | Sites reporting | Busiest period | Whales in busiest period | Day total Kauaʻi | Day total Oʻahu | Day total Hawaiʻi Island |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 264 volunteers | 29 | 9:00 am–9:15 am | 75 | 94 | 246 | 206 |
| February | 345 volunteers † | 30 | 8:30 am–8:45 am | 77 | 64 | 232 | 105 |
| March | 320 volunteers † | 30 | 8:30 am–8:45 am | 117 | 273 | 467 | 68 |
† The headcount includes Pacific Whale Foundation's Great Whale Count on Maui, held on the same mornings.
Day totals add up every whale reported during the morning, so one whale can be counted more than once.
The release's Hawaiʻi Island day total for January 28, 206, leaves out Kapaʻa Beach Park; the sheet's table adds up to 273.
2023 averages by count site
The highest 2023 site value for a single count is 10.56, at Puʻukoholā Heiau National 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.
| No. | Site | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lumahaʻi Lookout | – | – | – |
| 2 | Cliffs at Princeville | – | – | – |
| 3 | KPNWR-Kīlauea Lighthouse | 2.89 | 3.44 | 9.78 |
| 4 | KPNWR-Crater Hill | 2.22 | 0.33 | 4.89 |
| 5 | Kapaʻa Lookout | 1.22 | 2 | 3.33 |
| 6 | Ahukini State Recreation Pier | 0.11 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | Ninini Lighthouse | 0.11 | – | 0.33 |
| 8 | Māhāʻulepū-Makauwahi Trail | – | – | – |
| 9 | Māhāʻulepū-Makawehi | 1.33 | 0.5 | 2.22 |
| 10 | Makahūʻena Point ¶ | 2 | 2.33 | 5.25 |
| 11 | Poʻipū Beach Park | 0.56 | 0.11 | 1.67 |
| 12 | Kaʻiwa Point | – | – | – |
| 13 | Port Allen Cemetery | 0 | 0.33 | 3.11 |
| 14 | Waimea Canyon Drive | – | – | – |
| 15 | Pacific Missile Range Facility | – | – | – |
| No. | Site | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ewa Beach Park | – | – | – |
| 2 | Ko ʻOlina | 0.67 | 0.11 | 0.67 |
| 3 | Māʻili Point | – | – | – |
| 4 | Mākua Cave | 0.22 | 3.11 | 1.78 |
| 5 | Kaʻena Point (West Shore) | 0.56 | 2.44 | 3.78 |
| 6 | Kaʻena Point (North Shore) | – | – | – |
| 7 | Mokulēʻia Beach Park ¶ | 1.57 | 1.78 | 3.88 |
| 8 | Puaʻena Point | – | – | – |
| 9 | Shark's Cove | 2.44 | 1.22 | 3.67 |
| 10 | Turtle Bay Resort ¶ | 2.33 | 4.38 | 7.67 |
| 11 | Lāʻie Point | 4.67 | 4.22 | 4 |
| 12 | Hauʻula Beach Park | – | – | – |
| 13 | Kualoa Ranch (Bunkers) | 0.78 | 1.22 | 1.22 |
| 14 | Pyramid Rock | 0.57 | 1 | 4.89 |
| 15 | Mōkapu Point (Monument Point Overlook) | 5.11 | 0.89 | 8.67 |
| 16 | Lanikai | 0.17 | 0 | 2.44 |
| 17 | Waimānalo Beach Park | – | – | – |
| 18 | Makapuʻu Lighthouse | – | – | – |
| 19 | Hālona Blowhole | 1.88 | 1.33 | 2.89 |
| 20 | Lānaʻi Lookout | 1.78 | 2.33 | 4.33 |
| 21 | Hanauma Bay | – | – | – |
| 22 | Spitting Caves | 5.33 | 1.56 | 1.67 |
| 23 | Diamond Head | – | – | – |
| 24 | Magic Island | – | – | – |
| 25 | Kakaʻako Beach Park | – | – | – |
| 26 | Kahe Point | – | – | – |
| No. | Site | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park | – | – | – |
| 2 | Ka Lae Park | – | – | – |
| 3 | Miloliʻi Lookout | – | – | – |
| 4 | Hoʻokena Beach Park | 0.44 | 0.33 | 0 |
| 5 | Hōnaunau Lookout | 0.56 | 1.33 | – |
| 6 | Keauhou Scenic Lookout | – | – | – |
| 7 | Keāhole Point (OTEC) | – | – | – |
| 8 | Hualālai (Four Seasons Resort) | – | – | – |
| 9 | Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park | 10.56 | 2.22 | 2.44 |
| 10 | Mile Marker 7 | 10.25 | 1 | 0.11 |
| 11 | Lapakahi State Historical Park | – | – | – |
| 12 | Kapaʻa Beach Park | 7.44 | 6 | 1.56 |
| 13 | Old Coast Guard Road | – | – | – |
| 14 | ʻUpolu Point | – | – | – |
| 15 | Waipiʻo Valley lookout | – | – | – |
| 16 | Laupāhoehoe Scenic Lookout | – | – | – |
| 17 | Onekahakaha Beach Park (Hilo Bay) | 2.11 | 0.33 | 1.11 |
| 18 | Kumukahi Lighthouse | – | – | – |
| 19 | Kehena Lookout | – | – | – |
| 20 | Kaʻena Point (Chain of Craters Road) | – | – | – |
| 21 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Onomea Bay HTBG | – | 1.33 | 2.33 |
¶ We leave the February 25 cell for Turtle Bay Resort at 8:30 am, printed 4/5, out of its site’s average as a probable misprint. Read as 4/2, it reproduces the release's day total (232) and the printed average (1.8).
¶ We leave the March 25 cell for Mokulēʻia Beach Park at 9:30 am, printed 55/2, out of its site’s average as a probable misprint. Read as 5/2, it reproduces the release's day total (467) and the printed average (3.7).
¶ We leave the March 25 cell for Makahūʻena Point at 9:30 am, printed 3/01, out of its site’s average as a probable misprint. Read as 3/0, it reproduces the release's day total (273) and the printed average (3.4).
Sources
We link to each document rather than copy it.
- Results sheet, January 28
- Press release, January 28
- Results sheet, February 25
- Press release, February 25
- Results sheet, March 25
- Press release, March 25
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.