MA'ALAEA (MAUI), HI 1,208 humpback whale sightings were reported in the Great Maui Whale Count, conducted on Saturday, March 6 by the nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation. An average of 382 whales per hour were tallied during the count, which took place at 12 counting stations along Maui's south and western shores, and at Hookipa Beach Park on Maui's north shore. It averaged out to 31.9 sightings per hour at each of the stations.

The count was conducted between 8:30 and 11:50 a.m. by more than 100 volunteers who worked alongside Pacific Whale Foundation researchers and staff. The stations extended from the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua to Pu'u Olai in Makena, and also included Hookipa Beach Park in Paia.

The skies were mostly sunny during the three-hour count, although strong trade winds whipped up ocean white caps at some of the counting locations. The favorable weather and sea conditions were especially appreciated after the tsunami warning of last Saturday, which caused the count to be delayed by a week. "Right after the tsunami warning, we had a day of rain, followed by days of exceptionally strong trade winds," said Greg Kaufman, founder and Executive Director at Pacific Whale Foundation. "Thank goodness for mostly decent weather today."

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