*2026 will be the projects 30th Anniversary! Registration will occur in early 2026!*

The 2026 Ocean Counts are scheduled for the following Saturdays:

January 31

February 28

March 28

The Sanctuary Ocean Count is a signature education outreach and community science project that Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary hosts annually. Ocean Count serves to promote public awareness about humpback whales, the sanctuary, and shore-based whale watching opportunities in the Hawaiian Islands. The count is conducted three times per year during peak whale season and provides a snapshot of humpback whales sightings from the shoreline.

Participants tally humpback whale sightings and document the animals’ surface behavior during the survey which is from 8 am to 12 noon. Since it is an Ocean Count we also encourage noting down any other species you might see during the count. The Sanctuary Ocean Count project is highly dependent on and hugely successful due to our enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers! A similar effort is also done on Maui with the Pacific Whale Foundation.

Mahalo for your support with the Sanctuary Ocean Count project!