Last month was a record-breaker for the annual Great Whale Count on Maui, which recorded a total of 1,726 whale sightings over a three-hour period on 2/23/08. The reasons were perfect weather conditions for whale watching and a growing whale population led to an unprecedented number of humpback whale sightings.
“It was absolutely gorgeous out there today,” said Dr. Quincy Gibson, Research Director at Pacific Whale Foundation and the coordinator of The Great Whale Count. “The weather was sunny with no clouds, with just a light breeze, little glare and very flat, calm seas — just ideal for watching whales.”
It’s also important to note that researchers believe that the North Pacific humpback whale population has been increasing steadily over the years, at a rate of about 7% per year,” says Gibson. “We could certainly see the results of that population growth today.”
The Great Whale Countis an annual event organized by the Pacific Whale Foundation. It brings together Maui visitors, residents and Pacific Whale Foundation’s researchers, educators and other staff, to count the number of whale sightings and record whale surface behaviors. These viewings are made from twelve shoreline observation stations. The counting locations are located along Maui’s south and western shores, from the Ritz Carlton in Kapalua to Pu’u Olai in Makena. Also included is a site at Ho’okipa Beach on Maui’s north shore.
The 2/23/08 count of 1,726 whale sightings, broke the previous all-time record in 2006, when 1,265 humpback whales were counted.
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