Hawaiian monk seal

Seals around Hawaiʻi.

Follow public seal observations from Hawaiʻi. Browse published records, explore the places and stories behind them, or share an encounter with the Seal Watch team.

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Total reports
93
Latest observation

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Public records archive

1 January—21 September

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Explore Hawaiʻi sightings

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Island markers filter reports. Place markers show named shores or offshore islands from published records, never exact animal positions. Counts are reports, not seals.

34 of 34 reports name a mapped island · 24 have a named shore or island reference

Outline: Natural Earth. Place references: USGS, State of Hawaiʻi, NOAA and University of Hawaiʻi.

Reports over time

All dates

Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.

  1. 22005
  2. 12007
  3. 12011
  4. 12015
  5. 12016
  6. 12017
  7. 42019
  8. 282026

Months in 2026

  1. 5Jan
  2. 3Feb
  3. 4Mar
  4. 2Apr
  5. 1May
  6. 1Jun
  7. 2Jul
  8. 5Aug
  9. 5Sep
  10. 0Oct
  11. 0Nov
  12. 0Dec

Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.

  1. Date: 2026
    Place: White Plains Beach Oʻahu
    Reported: R407 (Kawika) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: R407 was reported alone on shore.

  2. Date: 2026
    Place: Kahe Oʻahu
    Reported: RL20 (Kalua) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RL20 was reported swimming past toward Ko Olina.

  3. Date: 2026
    Place: Rabbit Island (Mānana) Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn

    Observation: Marilyn reported six seals during 12:55–15:07, including RV50, RV76, another weaned pup, a juvenile male, and two subadult females.

  4. Date: 2026
    Place: Kahe Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: An unidentified seal was seen swimming toward Ko Olina. The observers could not obtain enough identifying detail.

  5. Date: 2026
    Place: Rabbit Island (Mānana) Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn

    Observation: Marilyn reported eight seals during 12:56–15:02, including three weaned pups. One pup was tentatively identified as RV76.

  6. Date: 2026
    Place: White Plains Beach Oʻahu
    Reported: R407 (Kawika) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: R407 was reported resting on the beach.

  7. Date: 2026
    Place: Paradise Cove Oʻahu
    Reported: RL12 (Aukai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RL12 was reported sleeping on shore.

  8. Date: 2026
    Place: Rabbit Island (Mānana) Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn

    Observation: Marilyn recorded an adult male in molt and three weaned pups. One pup was attributed to PO13; the others were not individually identified.

  9. Date: 2026
    Place: Pūpūkea (Three Tables) Oʻahu
    Reported: RT68 (Mana) NOAA Fisheries

    Observation: Responders found RT68 deceased following a report of a seal in distress.

  10. Date: 2026
    Reported: RV36 NOAA Fisheries

    Observation: RV36 was recovered deceased from an unattended fishing net offshore.

  11. Date: 2026
    Place: Rabbit Island (Mānana) Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn

    Observation: Marilyn reported nine seals during 11:58–14:09, including a mother–pup pair attributed to RH76 (Kala) and PO13. Other seals were described by age, coat, sex and tags.

  12. Date: 2026
    Reported: RV58 (formerly PO11) NOAA Fisheries

    Observation: Rocky's pup was tagged RV58 and released after weaning the previous day.

  13. Date: 2026
    Reported: RV96 (ʻĀnela ʻAuinalā) NOAA Fisheries

    Observation: The weaned pup was released at a new beach and explored the water.

  14. Date: 2026
    Place: Kaimana Beach, Waikīkī Oʻahu
    Reported: RK96 (Kaiwi) and pup Hawaiʻi DLNR / HMAR

    Observation: Kaiwi gave birth to a pup at sunset on May 3. The state announcement identifies the mother as RK96.

  15. Date: 2026
    Place: White Plains Beach Oʻahu
    Reported: RN14 (Kalani) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RN14 was the seal reported during the observers' visit to the beach.

  16. Date: 2026
    Place: Kahe Oʻahu
    Reported: RL20 (Kalua) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RL20 was reported resting alone.

  17. Date: 2026
    Place: White Plains Beach Oʻahu
    Reported: KG89 (Huakai) / RL12 (Aukai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: The observers reported KG89 and RL12 on the beach.

  18. Date: 2026
    Place: Kahe Oʻahu
    Reported: RG32 MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RG32 was reported alone on the rocks and alert.

  19. Date: 2026
    Place: Rabbit Island (Mānana) Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn

    Observation: One juvenile female with two red tags was recorded during a brief 12:44–12:52 observation session.

  20. Date: 2026
    Place: West Oʻahu shoreline Oʻahu
    Reported: RH32 (Kaʻale) NOAA Fisheries

    Observation: NOAA reported RH32 hauled out with typical behavior and no visible illness.

  21. Date: 2026
    Place: West Oʻahu shoreline Oʻahu
    Reported: Temp 402 (Naʻau; N45) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: The young seal identified as Temp 402 / N45 was resting ashore. Observers described an improved appearance but noted that it still looked underweight.

  22. Date: 2026
    Place: Pōkaʻī Bay Oʻahu
    Reported: RL20 / RH76 (Kala) / R3CX (Nalu) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: The observers reported RL20, RH76, and R3CX hauling out in the bay after watching seals foraging offshore.

  23. Date: 2026
    Place: Rabbit Island (Mānana) Oʻahu
    Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn

    Observation: Marilyn recorded an adult male, a subadult female, a juvenile, and an adult female during the 12:15–14:22 observation session.

  24. Date: 2026
    Place: Electric Beach Oʻahu
    Reported: RN14 (Kalani) / RL08 MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RN14 was initially resting alone on shore. RL08 had joined him when the observers checked again.

  25. Date: 2026
    Place: White Plains Beach Oʻahu
    Reported: KG89 (Huakai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: KG89 was reported resting on the ʻEwa side of the beach during rain and a rising tide.

  26. Date: 2026
    Place: Kaʻena Point Oʻahu
    Reported: RW02 / R330 / RL47 / RP24 / RN58 / R420 MonkSealMania / Tammy and Lesley

    Observation: Tammy and Lesley reported six seals: RW02, R330 (Squinty), RL47 (Kamakana), RP24 (Mohala), RN58 (Luana), and R420.

  27. Date: 2026
    Place: Kahe Oʻahu
    Reported: RG32 / RM31 (Kai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RG32 and RM31 were reported resting together on the rocks.

  28. Date: 2026
    Place: Pōkaʻī Bay Oʻahu
    Reported: RH48 (Lei Ola) / R3CX (Nalu) MonkSealMania / Team R&B

    Observation: RH48 was seen foraging in the morning. A later visit recorded RH48 and R3CX foraging on the rest-camp side of the bay.