Lapakahi State Historical Park averaged 8.98 humpback whales per 15-minute count period on the 37 Ocean Count mornings from 2007 to 2026 when it reported, the highest of any Hawaiʻi Island site counted on at least 20 mornings. Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park averaged 7.71 over 59 mornings, and Kumukahi Lighthouse, last counted in 2018, averaged 0.29 over 32.
The biggest change from the 2007 to 2011 span to the 2022 to 2026 span is at Mile Marker 7: 9.86 whales per period in the earlier span and 3.11 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, Mile Marker 7 has the highest average: 8.08 over 26 counts. Paukaʻa Point averaged 8.25, but over only 12 counts, in four seasons between 2002 and 2006. Lapakahi State Historical Park, the top site from 2007 to 2026, averaged 7.77 over 26 counts.
The official maps and results sheets from 2007 to 2026 list 24 count sites on Hawaiʻi Island, and 10 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 these sites yet. After each visit we will add the exact count spot, access, parking, facilities and shade. Until then, this page gives the count results and an OpenStreetMap location where one matched. 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.
| Site | 2002–2010 | Report counts | 2007–2011 | 2012–2016 | 2017–2021 | 2022–2026 | Counts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lapakahi State Historical Park | 7.77 | 26 | 9.63 | 9.81 | 5.89 | 6 | 37 |
| Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park | 6.96 | 26 | 8.15 | 11 | 4.65 | 6.95 | 59 |
| Mile Marker 7 | 8.08 | 26 | 9.86 | 11.99 | 4.23 | 3.11 | 56 |
| Old Coast Guard Road | 6.27 | 22 | 5.61 | 5.36 | 4.19 | 3.69 | 50 |
| ʻUpolu Point | 5.5 | 22 | 5.43 | 3.73 | 5.04 | – | 32 |
| Kapaʻa Beach Park | 5.48 | 27 | 5.62 | 5.4 | 3.44 | 4.07 | 59 |
| Hualālai (Four Seasons Resort) | 2.89 | 27 | 4.78 | 4.01 | 1.44 | 2.2 | 49 |
| Ka Lae Park | 4.23 | 26 | 2.86 | 3.78 | 1.64 | – | 35 |
| Onekahakaha Beach Park (Hilo Bay) | 5.52 | 27 | 3.57 | 2.93 | 0.58 | 1.47 | 53 |
| Waipiʻo Valley lookout | 1.14 | 22 | 1.45 | 3.1 | 0.06 | – | 20 |
| Onomea Bay HTBG | – | – | – | – | – | 1.83 | 2 |
| Keauhou Scenic Lookout | 1.19 | 26 | 1.47 | 1.56 | – | 1.68 | 34 |
| Keāhole Point (OTEC) | 2.38 | 26 | 3.02 | 0.98 | 0.57 | 1.37 | 53 |
| Miloliʻi Lookout | 0.86 | 22 | 1.05 | 0.99 | – | – | 21 |
| Hawaiian Paradise Park | – | – | 0.48 | 1.41 | 0.71 | 0.89 | 43 |
| ʻŌʻōkala | 1.44 | 27 | 0.93 | 0.85 | – | – | 24 |
| Laupāhoehoe Scenic Lookout | 1.62 | 26 | 1.14 | 0.33 | – | – | 25 |
| Kaʻena Point (Chain of Craters Road) | 0.31 | 16 | 0.93 | 0.85 | 0.63 | – | 23 |
| Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park | 1.12 | 25 | 0.49 | 0.71 | 0.23 | – | 38 |
| Hoʻokena Beach Park | 0.3 | 27 | 0.4 | 0.22 | 0.78 | 0.41 | 37 |
| Kehena Lookout | 0.26 | 23 | 0.29 | 0.7 | 0.39 | – | 35 |
| Hōnaunau Lookout | 0.72 | 25 | 0.6 | 0.44 | 0.45 | 0.32 | 55 |
| Kumukahi Lighthouse | 1.25 | 24 | 0.26 | 0.23 | 0.53 | – | 32 |
| Paukaʻa Point | 8.25 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – |
The chart below shows every count at every Hawaiʻi Island 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: Lapakahi State Historical Park tops the list with 8.9 whales per scan over the mornings it reported. Empty cells are counts the site did not report.
| Site | 07-01 | 07-02 | 07-03 | 08-01 | 08-02 | 08-03 | 09-01 | 09-02 | 09-03 | 10-01 | 10-03 | 10-03 | 11-01 | 11-02 | 11-03 | 12-01 | 12-02 | 12-03 | 13-01 | 13-02 | 13-03 | 14-01 | 14-02 | 14-03 | 15-01 | 15-02 | 15-03 | 16-01 | 16-02 | 16-03 | 17-01 | 17-02 | 17-03 | 18-01 | 18-02 | 18-03 | 19-01 | 19-02 | 19-03 | 20-01 | 20-02 | 21-01 | 21-02 | 21-03 | 22-01 | 22-02 | 22-03 | 23-01 | 23-02 | 23-03 | 24-01 | 24-02 | 24-03 | 25-01 | 25-02 | 25-03 | 26-01 | 26-02 | 26-03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lapakahi State Historical Park | 12.2 | 19.9 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 4.2 | 16.3 | 7.0 | 4.3 | 22.0 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 16.4 | 7.3 | 3.1 | 12.2 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 13.1 | 18.6 | 10.2 | 14.2 | 10.8 | 6.0 | 12.2 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 0.6 | 4.8 | 8.8 | 4.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.1 | – | 11.4 | 5.3 | 1.1 |
| Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park | 7.9 | 7.9 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 3.6 | 6.0 | 12.1 | 13.1 | 5.7 | 11.1 | 17.1 | 8.9 | 9.0 | 8.6 | 1.7 | 10.1 | 7.7 | 2.2 | 9.2 | 18.7 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 17.0 | 6.0 | 17.0 | 19.7 | 9.6 | 11.2 | 12.9 | 1.4 | 9.7 | 6.8 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 12.0 | 2.3 | 6.4 | 4.7 | 11.2 | 3.6 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 10.6 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 11.9 | 23.0 | 3.1 | 20.8 | 9.3 | 1.8 | 8.7 | 4.4 | 0.1 |
| Mile Marker 7 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 9.9 | 3.9 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 7.8 | – | 21.6 | 17.7 | 11.1 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 5.8 | 17.4 | 7.8 | 2.4 | 12.6 | 23.9 | 6.7 | 12.3 | 20.4 | 6.0 | 20.6 | 13.4 | 8.1 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 0.6 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 1.9 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 3.5 | 12.2 | 0.6 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 2.3 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 10.2 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 3.2 | 7.2 | 0.1 | 12.2 | – | 0.0 | – | 3.8 | 0.0 |
| Old Coast Guard Road | 13.2 | 6.1 | 4.0 | 5.9 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 8.1 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 3.9 | – | 5.8 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 5.4 | 8.2 | 5.2 | 10.1 | 11.2 | 2.1 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 3.9 | 6.6 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 4.8 | 7.1 | 5.1 | 8.4 | 5.3 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 11.1 | 2.1 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 4.8 | 0.9 | 0.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 4.8 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 3.9 | – |
| Kapaʻa Beach Park | 9.4 | 7.6 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 7.3 | 5.3 | 2.2 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 6.4 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 5.1 | 8.7 | 4.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 2.0 | 7.9 | 9.6 | 4.3 | 7.7 | 5.9 | 0.3 | 3.4 | 7.0 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 8.3 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 7.1 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 0.2 | 7.4 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 5.4 | 7.7 | 2.6 | 6.3 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 6.1 | 3.2 | 1.4 |
| ʻUpolu Point | 16.8 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 1.6 | 5.1 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 10.4 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 6.8 | 7.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 8.1 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 6.9 | 4.2 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 3.3 | – | 0.4 | 9.4 | 4.2 | 1.4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hualālai (Four Seasons Resort) | 3.4 | 5.9 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 0.1 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 7.8 | 11.6 | – | 5.1 | 6.2 | 0.0 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 5.0 | 1.3 | 9.9 | 10.0 | 1.4 | 4.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 5.6 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | – | – | – | 5.8 | 4.2 | 0.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ka Lae Park | 6.0 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 4.8 | 0.0 | 6.9 | 5.0 | 2.7 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 12.0 | 6.9 | 1.2 | – | – | – | 2.6 | 4.6 | – | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Onekahakaha Beach Park (Hilo Bay) | 4.8 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 5.3 | 2.0 | 6.2 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 7.3 | – | 2.1 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 2.9 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.8 | – | 0.0 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 0.1 | – | – | – | 2.6 | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Waipiʻo Valley lookout | 2.3 | 0.7 | – | – | – | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.1 | – | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | 3.2 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 7.0 | 0.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.1 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Keauhou Scenic Lookout | 4.6 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 0.0 | 5.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.7 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 0.1 |
| Keāhole Point (OTEC) | 7.6 | 5.6 | – | 3.7 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 6.0 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | – | 0.0 | 0.1 | – | – | – | – | 0.6 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 4.4 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 0.6 |
| Miloliʻi Lookout | – | – | – | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 5.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hawaiian Paradise Park | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | – | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.0 | 0.2 | 6.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 1.7 | – | 0.0 | – | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 1.1 | – | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 |
| ʻŌʻōkala | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laupāhoehoe Scenic Lookout | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | – | 0.1 | 0.8 | – | – | – | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | 0.9 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kaʻena Point (Chain of Craters Road) | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 4.7 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.0 | – | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.7 | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hoʻokena Beach Park | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.3 | – | – | – | – |
| Hōnaunau Lookout | 1.3 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.0 | – | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | – | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | – | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.3 | – | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Kehena Lookout | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | – | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | – | – | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kumukahi Lighthouse | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | – | 0.0 | – | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | – | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
An average hides how often a scan comes up empty. In January and February, 4% of 15-minute scans on the Kohala coast came up empty, against 50 to 59% on the other coasts. The chart splits each coast’s scans by how many whales they showed.
| Coast | scans | 0 whales | 1–2 whales | 3–5 whales | 6–10 whales | 11+ whales | mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kohala | 1744 | 4% | 9% | 27% | 35% | 26% | 8.00 |
| Kaʻū | 431 | 50% | 17% | 19% | 12% | 3% | 2.22 |
| Kona | 1531 | 50% | 22% | 17% | 9% | 2% | 1.91 |
| Hāmākua | 397 | 54% | 19% | 20% | 5% | 1% | 1.51 |
| Hilo and Puna | 1109 | 59% | 18% | 16% | 6% | 1% | 1.40 |
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.
| Site | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lapakahi State Historical Park | 6 | 6.33 | 6 | 5.67 | 7 | 11.7 | 4.41 | 9.61 | 13.44 | 8.96 | 7.93 | 13.96 | 11.57 | 9.11 | 6.85 | 5.89 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 6.11 | 5.96 |
| Paukaʻa Point | 12.67 | 4.67 | – | 8.67 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park | 5.67 | 3.67 | 7 | 3 | 9.67 | 6.7 | 4.96 | 10.3 | 12.37 | 6.41 | 6.67 | 11.96 | 12.86 | 15.41 | 8.52 | 5.63 | 2.31 | 5 | 5.56 | 4.96 | 1.96 | 5.07 | 12.67 | 10.63 | 4.41 |
| Mile Marker 7 | 5 | 12 | 4.67 | 3.33 | 8.33 | 7.19 | 6.59 | 8.89 | 16.78 | 9.54 | 9.22 | 14.46 | 14.9 | 14.04 | 8.3 | 6 | 3.08 | 5.46 | 5.88 | 1.41 | 0.74 | 3.54 | 3.52 | 6.11 | 2.27 |
| Old Coast Guard Road | 8.33 | 7.33 | 5.5 | 6 | 4.33 | 7.08 | 4.85 | 5.47 | 4.83 | 5.67 | 2.59 | 6.3 | 8.28 | 5.93 | 3.93 | 5.67 | 4.59 | 5.07 | 3.41 | 1.93 | – | – | 3.81 | 3.3 | 4.25 |
| ʻUpolu Point | 13.67 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9.44 | 2.78 | 2.82 | 6.81 | 4.85 | 1.48 | 5.42 | 5 | 4.56 | 1.89 | 5.04 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kapaʻa Beach Park | 9 | 7 | 3.33 | 3.67 | 4 | 6.33 | 5.07 | 4.96 | 6.78 | 4.96 | 3.37 | 6.07 | 5.67 | 7.26 | 4.63 | 4.33 | 2.19 | 3.78 | 3 | 3.74 | 3.3 | 5 | 5.22 | 3.22 | 3.59 |
| Hualālai (Four Seasons Resort) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1.33 | 3.33 | 4.33 | 5.15 | 3.19 | 2.81 | 9.67 | 3.78 | 4.74 | 2.59 | 7.11 | 1.85 | 1.15 | 1.7 | 2 | 1.5 | 0.85 | 1.04 | – | 3.37 | – | – |
| Ka Lae Park | 10.33 | 8.33 | 1 | 1.33 | 2.67 | 3.8 | 1.52 | 2.11 | 4.85 | 2.11 | 0.81 | 4.32 | 3.19 | 6.7 | – | 3.56 | 0.16 | 1.41 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Onekahakaha Beach Park (Hilo Bay) | 6.67 | 20.67 | 0.33 | 5.67 | 1.67 | 2.92 | 3.41 | 4.07 | 4.3 | 3.11 | 1.65 | 4.72 | 3.7 | 4.11 | 1 | 0.78 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.33 | 1.21 | 1.39 | 1.19 | 1.93 | – | 1.35 |
| Waipiʻo Valley lookout | 0.33 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | – | 0 | 2.89 | 1.44 | 0 | – | 3.67 | 3.56 | – | – | 0.06 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Onomea Bay HTBG | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1.83 | – | – | – |
| Keauhou Scenic Lookout | 0.33 | 2.33 | 1 | 0.67 | 0.33 | 2.37 | 1.67 | 0.74 | 1.22 | 1.33 | 0.63 | 0.92 | 2.11 | 2.52 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.67 | 2.33 | 1.37 |
| Keāhole Point (OTEC) | 2.33 | 3.33 | 0.5 | 1.67 | 0.67 | 6.56 | 3.19 | 1.81 | 2.74 | 1.96 | 0.59 | 0.95 | 1 | 1.59 | 0.74 | 0.19 | 0.22 | 1 | 1 | 0.61 | 0.06 | – | 1.54 | 2.19 | 1.26 |
| Miloliʻi Lookout | – | 0.33 | 0.5 | 0.33 | 2 | – | 1.56 | 0.19 | 2.07 | 0.37 | 0.44 | 1.7 | 0.81 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hawaiian Paradise Park | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.48 | 0.63 | 1.17 | 1.96 | 3.26 | 0 | 0.74 | 0.83 | 0.89 | 0.44 | 0.61 | 0.15 | 0.05 | 2.43 | 0.59 | 1.33 |
| ʻŌʻōkala | 2 | 3 | 1.67 | 2.33 | 1 | 0.89 | 1.15 | 0.44 | 0.88 | 1.26 | 0.59 | 0.62 | 1.3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laupāhoehoe Scenic Lookout | 1.67 | 2.67 | 0 | 3 | 2.33 | 0.26 | 1.71 | 0.41 | 2.54 | 1 | 0.3 | 0.28 | 0.78 | 0.17 | 0.38 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kaʻena Point (Chain of Craters Road) | 0.67 | 0.33 | 0 | 0 | 0.67 | – | – | – | – | 0.93 | 0.15 | 0.11 | 0.63 | 2.52 | 0.83 | 0.74 | 0.52 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park | 0.67 | 6.33 | 0 | 0 | 0.33 | 0.93 | 0.44 | 0.44 | 0.48 | 0.15 | 0.83 | 0 | 0.15 | 2.04 | 0.11 | 0 | 0.09 | 0.44 | 0.5 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hoʻokena Beach Park | 0 | 1 | 0.33 | 0 | 0 | 0.33 | 0.48 | 0.33 | 0.67 | 0.19 | 0.22 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 0.07 | 0.33 | 1.78 | 0 | 0.26 | 0.78 | 0.72 | – |
| Kehena Lookout | 0.33 | 0.33 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0.44 | 0.11 | 1 | 0.04 | 0 | 0.11 | 0.33 | 1.7 | 0.89 | 0.67 | 0 | 0.44 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hōnaunau Lookout | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.67 | 0 | 0.81 | 0.37 | 0.41 | 0.5 | 1 | 0.33 | 0.56 | 0.81 | 0.33 | 0.06 | 0.52 | 0.09 | 1.11 | 0.06 | 0.3 | 0.19 | 0.75 | 0.44 | 0.19 | 0.27 |
| Kumukahi Lighthouse | 6.33 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.67 | 0.11 | 0.07 | 0 | 0.93 | 0 | 0 | 0.11 | 0.41 | 0.52 | 0.07 | 0.89 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Pooled across all Hawaiʻi Island sites and all 59 counts with site tables, the average per site and period ran from 2.3 in the 12:00 period to 3.35 in the 9:00 period. The time-of-morning chart for all three islands is on the count sites page.
Every designated site
The list is grouped by coast and gives the program’s site numbers. 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.
| # | Site | Coast | Years on a results sheet | Seasons in the 2010 report | Status | Location (OpenStreetMap) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Puʻukoholā Heiau National Park | Kohala | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | 20.0280, -155.8211 |
| 10 | Mile Marker 7 | Kohala | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | Not pinned: not found in OpenStreetMap |
| 11 | Lapakahi State Historical Park | Kohala | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | 20.1693, -155.8976 |
| 12 | Kapaʻa Beach Park | Kohala | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | 20.2038, -155.9017 |
| 13 | Old Coast Guard Road | Kohala | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 14 | ʻUpolu Point | Kohala | 2007–2017 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2017 | 20.2685, -155.8507 |
| 3 | Miloliʻi Lookout | Kona | 2008–2014 | 2003–2010 | Last counted 2014 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 4 | Hoʻokena Beach Park | Kona | 2007–2025 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2025 | 19.3797, -155.8979 |
| 5 | Hōnaunau Lookout | Kona | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 6 | Keauhou Scenic Lookout | Kona | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | 19.5760, -155.9593 |
| 7 | Keāhole Point (OTEC) | Kona | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | 19.7276, -156.0619 |
| 8 | Hualālai (Four Seasons Resort) | Kona | 2007–2024 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2024 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 1 | Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park | Kaʻū | 2007–2020 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2020 | 19.1353, -155.5049 |
| 2 | Ka Lae Park | Kaʻū | 2007–2019 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2019 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 17 | Onekahakaha Beach Park (Hilo Bay) | Hilo and Puna | 2007–2026 | 2002–2010 | Counted in 2026 | 19.7375, -155.0383 |
| 18 | Kumukahi Lighthouse | Hilo and Puna | 2007–2018 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2018 | 19.5163, -154.8109 |
| 19 | Kehena Lookout | Hilo and Puna | 2007–2019 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2019 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 20 | Kaʻena Point (Chain of Craters Road) | Hilo and Puna | 2011–2018 | 2002–2007 | Last counted 2018 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 21 | Hawaiian Paradise Park | Hilo and Puna | 2011–2026 | – | Counted in 2026 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 22 | Onomea Bay HTBG | Hilo and Puna | 2023 | – | Last counted 2023 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| – | Paukaʻa Point | Hilo and Puna | – | 2002–2006 | No data on the sheets we read | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| 15 | Waipiʻo Valley lookout | Hāmākua | 2007–2018 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2018 | 20.1180, -155.5844 |
| 16 | Laupāhoehoe Scenic Lookout | Hāmākua | 2007–2016 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2016 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
| – | ʻŌʻōkala | Hāmākua | 2007–2014 | 2002–2010 | Last counted 2014 | Not pinned: only a nearby place matched |
Eleven of the 24 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.
Outside count days, Love Big Island, published by the same company as this site, covers whale season and shore lookouts in its Big Island whale-watching guide. To take part in the next count, register at oceancount.org.