Humpback whale song in Hawaiʻi
Between December and April, male humpback song becomes the dominant source of underwater sound in many parts of Hawaiʻi, according to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Many males singing at once make a chorus that the sanctuary measures with recorders on the seafloor, to follow koholā (humpback whales) through the season. The Ocean Count data sheets have no column for song, because the count is a visual survey done from shore.
This page summarizes what NOAA and the sanctuary publish about humpback song and points to their recordings. We are an independent site, not the sanctuary or the count.
Who sings, and what a song is
Only adult males sing. Scientists sort humpback sounds into song and non-song calls, as NOAA’s sanctuaries office explains it. A song has structure: short repeating units called phrases are organized into larger themes, which NOAA compares to a poem. Singing sessions can last from five minutes to more than 24 hours, with the same song repeated over and over.
In a given breeding area the males all sing the same current version of the song, and in Hawaiʻi that song changes over the season and from year to year, according to a NOAA sanctuary photo caption. The sanctuary also notes that whale song can carry for several miles underwater, far enough for one recorder to pick up whales across a wide area.
What the song is for
The sanctuary’s research page calls the exact function of song “a matter of scientific debate.” Its summary of the evidence is that song is probably a display of competitive fitness aimed mainly at other males, and less likely an attempt by males to attract females. A 2021 NOAA sanctuaries story describes song more broadly, as a way for whales to communicate, locate each other and attract mates. Where the two differ, we follow the sanctuary’s research page.
To test whether song carries information about a male’s fitness, sanctuary researchers have worked with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and the University of Alaska Fairbanks off Maui. Divers locate a singer, record it with a calibrated recorder and video camera, measure its distance with handheld sonar, estimate its size from the video and take a biopsy sample to measure hormone levels.
How researchers use the chorus
The sanctuary keeps bottom-moored acoustic recorders in the water through the breeding season, and software measures how much whale song each recording holds. Researchers use the amount of song to track the relative presence of whales: when they arrive, when numbers peak and when they leave, compared across sites and years. From 2018 through 2021, the NOAA and U.S. Navy SanctSound project recorded at five locations in the sanctuary and three in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Because only adult males sing, a recorder captures one part of the population and nothing directly from females or calves. Dr. Anke Kügler, who has worked on the sanctuary’s acoustic surveys, told NOAA that visual surveys link the acoustic data to what is happening in the population, so changes in song levels can be checked against changes in the number of whales people see. The Ocean Count and the Great Whale Count on Maui are two of those visual records.
When humpbacks sing: seafloor recordings, 2018 to 2021
Seafloor recorders at Olowalu on Maui, Makapuʻu on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island heard humpback song almost nonstop from February to mid-March. In every recorded week starting between February 1 and March 16, a song detector found song in at least 92% of the 30-second recordings at each site. December was mixed, from almost no song to almost nonstop, depending on site and year. The recorders ran from late November or December into the first half of the year, so there are no recordings for summer and fall.
Show the numbers as a table
| Site | Season | Week starting (HST) | Hours recorded | Share of recordings with song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2018-12-03 | 168 | 72.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2018-12-10 | 168 | 80.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2018-12-17 | 168 | 90.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2018-12-24 | 168 | 95.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2018-12-31 | 168 | 99.2% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-01-07 | 168 | 99.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-01-14 | 168 | 99.8% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-01-21 | 168 | 99.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-01-28 | 168 | 99.5% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-02-04 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-02-11 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-02-18 | 161 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-02-25 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-03-04 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-03-11 | 162 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-03-18 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2018–19 | 2019-03-25 | 150 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2019-12-02 | 168 | 63.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2019-12-09 | 168 | 83.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2019-12-16 | 168 | 93.4% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2019-12-23 | 168 | 98.8% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2019-12-30 | 168 | 99.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-01-06 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-01-13 | 167 | 99.8% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-01-20 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-01-27 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-02-03 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-02-10 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-02-17 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-02-24 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-03-02 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-03-09 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-03-16 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-03-23 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-03-30 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2019–20 | 2020-04-06 | 133 | 99.8% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2020-11-30 | 164 | 92.2% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2020-12-07 | 168 | 96.2% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2020-12-14 | 168 | 99.6% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2020-12-21 | 168 | 99.7% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2020-12-28 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2021-01-04 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Olowalu, Maui | 2020–21 | 2021-01-11 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2018–19 | 2018-12-17 | 157 | 24.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2018–19 | 2018-12-24 | 168 | 20.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2018–19 | 2018-12-31 | 168 | 51.5% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2018–19 | 2019-01-07 | 168 | 84.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2018–19 | 2019-01-14 | 125 | 87.6% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2019-12-02 | 168 | 7.2% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2019-12-09 | 168 | 8.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2019-12-16 | 168 | 28.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2019-12-23 | 168 | 77.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2019-12-30 | 168 | 47.6% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-01-06 | 168 | 89.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-01-13 | 168 | 85.1% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-01-20 | 168 | 94.2% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-01-27 | 166 | 98.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-02-03 | 168 | 94.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-02-10 | 168 | 96.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-02-17 | 168 | 98.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-02-24 | 168 | 98.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-03-02 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-03-09 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-03-16 | 168 | 99.8% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-03-23 | 168 | 99.5% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-03-30 | 168 | 99.6% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-04-06 | 168 | 92.1% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-04-13 | 168 | 74.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-04-20 | 168 | 64.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-04-27 | 168 | 41.5% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-05-04 | 168 | 31.7% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-05-11 | 168 | 16.5% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-05-18 | 168 | 0.1% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2019–20 | 2020-05-25 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2020-11-30 | 168 | 54.7% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2020-12-07 | 168 | 52.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2020-12-14 | 168 | 77.1% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2020-12-21 | 168 | 89.6% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2020-12-28 | 168 | 73.7% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-01-04 | 168 | 96.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-01-11 | 168 | 99.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-01-18 | 168 | 98.4% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-01-25 | 168 | 99.6% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-02-01 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-02-08 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-02-15 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-02-22 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-03-01 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-03-08 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-03-15 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-03-22 | 168 | 99.8% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-03-29 | 168 | 95.8% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-04-05 | 168 | 94.0% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-04-12 | 168 | 89.3% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-04-19 | 168 | 67.9% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-04-26 | 168 | 55.5% |
| Makapuʻu, Oʻahu | 2020–21 | 2021-05-03 | 107 | 39.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2018-11-26 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2018-12-03 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2018-12-10 | 168 | 0.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2018-12-17 | 168 | 20.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2018-12-24 | 168 | 28.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2018-12-31 | 168 | 15.5% |
| Kauaʻi | 2018–19 | 2019-01-07 | 168 | 36.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2019-12-02 | 168 | 20.6% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2019-12-09 | 168 | 12.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2019-12-16 | 168 | 22.5% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2019-12-23 | 168 | 39.6% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2019-12-30 | 168 | 34.6% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-01-06 | 168 | 73.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-01-13 | 168 | 82.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-01-20 | 168 | 94.9% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-01-27 | 168 | 97.8% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-02-03 | 168 | 98.9% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-02-10 | 168 | 97.6% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-02-17 | 168 | 97.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-02-24 | 168 | 92.3% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-03-02 | 168 | 99.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-03-09 | 168 | 99.5% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-03-16 | 168 | 99.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-03-23 | 168 | 98.2% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-03-30 | 168 | 99.3% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-04-06 | 168 | 94.5% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-04-13 | 168 | 95.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-04-20 | 168 | 89.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-04-27 | 168 | 53.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2019–20 | 2020-05-04 | 168 | 16.5% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2020-11-30 | 154 | 14.2% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2020-12-07 | 168 | 50.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2020-12-14 | 168 | 62.2% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2020-12-21 | 168 | 75.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2020-12-28 | 168 | 85.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-01-04 | 168 | 94.8% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-01-11 | 168 | 97.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-01-18 | 168 | 86.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-01-25 | 168 | 97.9% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-02-01 | 168 | 99.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-02-08 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-02-15 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-02-22 | 168 | 99.8% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-03-01 | 168 | 99.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-03-08 | 168 | 96.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-03-15 | 168 | 98.2% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-03-22 | 168 | 99.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-03-29 | 168 | 94.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-04-05 | 168 | 96.2% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-04-12 | 168 | 84.1% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-04-19 | 168 | 87.4% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-04-26 | 168 | 59.3% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-05-03 | 168 | 35.3% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-05-10 | 168 | 6.6% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-05-17 | 168 | 4.7% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-05-24 | 168 | 29.3% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-05-31 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Kauaʻi | 2020–21 | 2021-06-07 | 120 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2019-12-02 | 168 | 23.5% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2019-12-09 | 168 | 45.1% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2019-12-16 | 168 | 83.4% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2019-12-23 | 168 | 90.1% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2019-12-30 | 168 | 95.9% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-01-06 | 168 | 96.6% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-01-13 | 168 | 99.8% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-01-20 | 164 | 99.9% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-01-27 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-02-03 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-02-10 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-02-17 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-02-24 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-03-02 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-03-09 | 168 | 99.8% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-03-16 | 168 | 98.3% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-03-23 | 168 | 98.9% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-03-30 | 168 | 70.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-04-06 | 168 | 46.5% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-04-13 | 168 | 8.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-04-20 | 166 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-04-27 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-05-04 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-05-11 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-05-18 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-05-25 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-06-01 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-06-08 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-06-15 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2019–20 | 2020-06-22 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2020-11-30 | 164 | 6.2% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2020-12-07 | 168 | 36.6% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2020-12-14 | 168 | 93.3% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2020-12-21 | 168 | 85.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2020-12-28 | 166 | 80.8% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-01-04 | 168 | 98.6% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-01-11 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-01-18 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-01-25 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-02-01 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-02-08 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-02-15 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-02-22 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-03-01 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-03-08 | 168 | 99.9% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-03-15 | 168 | 100.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-03-22 | 168 | 99.6% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-03-29 | 168 | 84.2% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-04-05 | 168 | 26.2% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-04-12 | 168 | 20.4% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-04-19 | 168 | 18.3% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-04-26 | 168 | 0.0% |
| Hawaiʻi Island | 2020–21 | 2021-05-03 | 168 | 0.0% |
Song faded out in April and May. Where a recorder kept running long enough to show it, the last week with song in more than 0.1% of recordings started April 13, 2020 (8.0%) and April 19, 2021 (18.3%) on Hawaiʻi Island, May 11, 2020 (16.5%) at Makapuʻu and May 24, 2021 (29.3%) on Kauaʻi. After that, song turned up in 0.1% of recordings or fewer each week. The other recorders stopped too early to show when song ended.
Where to hear humpback song
NOAA has published Hawaiian recordings you can play in a browser. The sanctuary’s February 2021 story “Eavesdropping on Whales” has three clips from SanctSound recorders near Olowalu on Maui, Makapuʻu on Oʻahu and Penguin Bank off Molokaʻi. The sanctuary’s acoustic monitoring page has a single song phrase.
To hear it live, you have to put your ears underwater. Love Big Island’s whale-watching guide, published by the same company as this site, gives step-by-step instructions for listening while swimming or snorkeling, with the ocean conditions to wait for.
Federal regulation 50 CFR 216.19 makes it illegal to approach a humpback within 100 yards by any means within 200 nautical miles of the Hawaiian Islands, and the sanctuary’s list of those means includes a person in the water. Listen from where you are and never swim toward a whale. Ocean Count volunteers are told never to enter the water during a count at all. The full rule, and what to do if a whale comes toward you, is on our rules page.