Volunteers are invited to register for The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary’s Ocean Count events starting at noon on Monday, Jan. 9. The Great Whale Count on Maui, sponsored by Pacific Whale Foundation, is also open to volunteer registration.

Since 2019, the HIHWNMS and PWF have coordinated their counts with the former sponsoring whale counts on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii Island and Kauai, and PWF holding their count on Maui, as part of the Maui Whale Festival.

The whale count events will take place at various shoreline sites on the four islands on Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 25. They’re held during the peak of whale season, helping to raise public awareness about humpbacks while providing a snapshot on the number of whales in island waters and documenting surface behavior and whale activity. Humpback whales return each year to mate, calve and nurse their young.

Volunteers interested in signing up can visit the HIHWNMS website (click on “registration” at the top) or the PWF website.

Two fishermen off the coast of South Maui spotted the 2022-2023 season’s first humpback whale on Sept. 14, 2022. The humpback whale season is December through April, but humpback whales have arrived early.

Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.