Whale, where are they?

LIHUE — Ralph Stewart slashed his pen across the appropriate time slot Saturday during the Kauai Ocean Count at Ahukini Landing.

“I can do a pretty good straight line (symbolizing no sightings),” said Ralph, who was volunteering with his wife Carol. “We haven’t seen anything except a bunch of boats, fishermen, and even a diver.”

Marga Goosen, site leader, stopped her scanning of the empty ocean laid out under clear skies and warm sunshine to provide whale education to some visitors.

Overall, Kauai reported just one whale sighting during a 15-minute count period, the total dropping from the average five sightings in February, the highest sightings during the three months the count is coordinated.

“The viewing conditions were ideal for watching whales from shore,” said Jean Souza with the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. “If the whales were there, the volunteers would have observed them.”

Ahukini Landing site finished the four-hour count period with zero sightings, along with Ninini Point Lighthouse where site leader Mike Cano handled the chore without any volunteer help.

Kauai’s count was carried out with the help of 64 registered volunteers, including the Stewarts who have done the counts for the past 12 years.

“One thing we know is the count at any particular site can vary from day to day,” Souza said. “As reported in February, the highest number of sightings was at Makawehi Point (known as Shipwreck’s) in Poipu. That did not carry over for the March 30 count as they saw fewer than one whale per 15-minute count period.”

Other sites reporting less than one whale per count period included the Kilauea Lighthouse, Crater Hill, and the Kapaa Lookout sites. These sites reported sightings of five, seven, and four whales, respectively, during the February count.

“The Port Allen Cemetery site in Eleele which normally sees below average whale sightings was the big winner for the March 30 count,” Souza said. “They reported two sightings per count period.”

Souza said the one thing Kauai sites shared with the other count sites in Hawaii is that more whales were seen during the 9 to 9:15 a.m. count period.

The Sanctuary Ocean Count project offers the community an opportunity to monitor humpback whales from the shores of Oahu, Hawaii island, and Kauai during the final Saturdays of January, February, and March. The data recorded provides information on humpback whales around the Hawaiian Islands.

•••

Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.