Although it was delayed a week by the tsunami warning, the annual Great Maui Whale Count came off Saturday, finding 1,208 humpback whales in three hours and 20 minutes.
"Sighting conditions were good, not excellent, but better than average. There was no glare and good clear visibility," said Greg Kaufman, executive director of the Pacific Whale Foundation, which organized the event.
The volunteer counters stationed themselves at 11 locations on the west and south shores and at Hookipa Beach Park in Paia.
More than 100 volunteers worked with foundation researchers and staff.
Weather, especially high winds, affects the outcome of the counts, because it's harder to spot a whale in rough water.
The 1,208 whale sightings were 19.6 percent more than the 1,010 seen in 2009, but below the 1,726 seen in 2008, when sighting conditions were ideal. That is the record.
"The Great Maui Whale Count represents a snapshot view of whales that can be sighted nearshore during a morning at the peak of whale season," said Kaufman. "In general, what we are seeing is evidence of a growing number of whale sightings in recent years, which correlates to research that shows the humpback whale population in the North Pacific increasing at a rate of 5 to 7 percent each year."
Of the 1,208 whales, 149 were calves.
The foundation's count has been taken annually since 1988. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary held its Ocean Count on Saturday on Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island. Its results were still being compiled Monday. The sanctuary count was expected to be released today.
