Humpback whale counting connects volunteer to ocean

Better late than never.

Despite some anxiety over the late arrival of humpback whales to Hawaii waters this season, the majestic creatures are here, following patterns consistent with long-term observations, according to the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Volunteers counted a total of 186 whales from the shores of Oahu, Kauai and the Hawaii island on the morning of Feb. 27 under mostly favorable viewing conditions. On Jan. 30, they recorded 258 whale sightings. There were few sightings in December, a month before the official count began, but January’s count was consistent with last year, with an average of four whales counted per 15 minutes.

Among the volunteers gathering data was June Kawamata, 73, of Kailua. For the past 20 years, Kawamata has served as the Sanctuaries’ Ocean Count site leader at Lanai Lookout on Oahu.

She served as a leader from 1996 to 2015 and passed on the duties to Paul Hasley this year, but still heads out every so often to look for her beloved humpback whales and to catch up with the other volunteers whom she considers close friends.

“It’s a thrilling experience,” said Kawamata. “But you’d better be patient like the fishermen. … You just gotta keep on watching for that specific one that’s traveling by. Sometimes they’re just swimming by and they do their actions at (Halona) Blowhole or Makapuu Lighthouse.”

Kawamata was first introduced to the Ocean Count by students at Kailua High School, where she worked as a lunchroom coordinator before retiring in 2005. She was surprised to learn the whales were visible from Oahu and not just Maui.

She witnessed her first whale breach at Lanai Lookout, a spot between Hanauma Bay and the Halona Blowhole, in the mid-’90s, and was hooked. Ocean Count was launched in 1996 with about 150 volunteers, and now draws more than 2,000.

With the help of binoculars, volunteers learn to look for signs of a plume coming from the whales’ blowhole, a flipper slap, a fluke or a breach.

Besides counting whales for data collection, volunteers educate visitors about the whales.

“I love any kind of marine life,” said the McKinley High School graduate. “I don’t like to go to zoos or aquariums, where they have captivity. I like to see everything free. They were born free, they should stay free.”

In her family room, she has numerous photos and sculptures of humpback whales, monk seals and dolphins. She’s been on whale tours with the Star of Honolulu on Oahu and Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui, but says she prefers to watch from the shoreline.

Even when she doesn’t spot the whales, she calls the effort “ocean therapy.” She looks forward to introducing her two grandchildren to the hobby one day.

Every year, thousands of humpback whales migrate to the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary to mate, calve and nurse their young. Typically, they begin to appear in Hawaii in November and stay as late as May, with numbers peaking in February and March.

The Sanctuary Ocean Count takes place from January through March. One more is scheduled for March 26. Visit sanctuaryoceancount.org or call 725-5912 (Oahu and Hawaii island) and 246-2860 (Kauai) to register.

Nina Wu writes about environmental issues. Read her blog at thegreenleaf.staradvertiserblogs.com. Reach her at 529-4892 or nwu@staradvertiser.com.