Hawaiʻi · 2001—2026
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.
- Total reports
- 93
- Latest observation
Public reports · newest first
Public records archive
1 January—21 September
Follow updates
Receive alerts for new public reports. Lock-screen alerts show only a broad area in Hawaiʻi.
Checking notification support on this device…
34 of 93 reports
Loading public records…
Public records could not be loaded. Check your connection and try again.
Explore Hawaiʻi sightings
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
Main Hawaiian Islands same scale
Kauaʻi coast enlarged
Oʻahu coast enlarged
Reported islands west to east
Named shores and islands
- Poʻipū Beach1 report
- Kaʻena Point1 report
- Pōkaʻī Bay2 reports
- Kahe Point5 reports
- Paradise Cove1 report
- Three Tables Beach1 report
- White Plains Beach5 reports
- Kaimana Beach1 report
- Mānana (Rabbit Island)6 reports
- Lahaina shoreline1 report
Outline: Natural Earth. Place references: USGS, State of Hawaiʻi, NOAA and University of Hawaiʻi.
Reports over time
All datesSelect a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.
Months in 2026
Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.
-
Date: 2026Reported: R407 (Kawika) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: R407 was reported alone on shore.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RL20 (Kalua) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RL20 was reported swimming past toward Ko Olina.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: An unidentified seal was seen swimming toward Ko Olina. The observers could not obtain enough identifying detail.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn
Observation: Marilyn reported eight seals during 12:56–15:02, including three weaned pups. One pup was tentatively identified as RV76.
-
Date: 2026Reported: R407 (Kawika) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: R407 was reported resting on the beach.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RL12 (Aukai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RL12 was reported sleeping on shore.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RU68 NOAA Fisheries
Observation: DLNR staff found the yearling female RU68 deceased.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RT68 (Mana) NOAA Fisheries
Observation: Responders found RT68 deceased following a report of a seal in distress.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RV36 NOAA Fisheries
Observation: RV36 was recovered deceased from an unattended fishing net offshore.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RV58 (formerly PO11) NOAA Fisheries
Observation: Rocky's pup was tagged RV58 and released after weaning the previous day.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RV96 (ʻĀnela ʻAuinalā) NOAA Fisheries
Observation: The weaned pup was released at a new beach and explored the water.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RV28 (formerly PK1) Kauaʻi HMS Conservation Hui
Observation: RL28 weaned her male pup after 40 days of nursing. The pup, initially PK1, was subsequently tagged as RV28.
-
Date: 2026Reported: R1NP Kauaʻi HMS Conservation Hui
Observation: A yearling male seen regularly between Waipouli and Lydgate was flipper-tagged as R1NP. The team described him as small but strong and healthy.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RL28 and pup PK1 (later RV28) Kauaʻi HMS Conservation Hui
Observation: RL28 gave birth to her first pup, a male initially called PK1. The monitoring team later assigned the pup the permanent ID RV28.
-
Date: 2026Reported: R404 Hawaiʻi Public Radio / Associated Press
Observation: A Hawaiian monk seal was filmed swimming in shallow water during a reported rock-throwing incident. AP later reported NOAA's identification of the seal as adult male R404.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RN14 (Kalani) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RN14 was the seal reported during the observers' visit to the beach.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RL20 (Kalua) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RL20 was reported resting alone.
-
Date: 2026Reported: KG89 (Huakai) / RL12 (Aukai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: The observers reported KG89 and RL12 on the beach.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RG32 MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RG32 was reported alone on the rocks and alert.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified MonkSealMania / Marilyn
Observation: One juvenile female with two red tags was recorded during a brief 12:44–12:52 observation session.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RH32 (Kaʻale) NOAA Fisheries
Observation: NOAA reported RH32 hauled out with typical behavior and no visible illness.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: Unidentified E bailey / Wikimedia Commons
Observation: A Hawaiian monk seal was photographed resting on the beach.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RN14 (Kalani) / RL08 MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RN14 was initially resting alone on shore. RL08 had joined him when the observers checked again.
-
Date: 2026Reported: KG89 (Huakai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: KG89 was reported resting on the ʻEwa side of the beach during rain and a rising tide.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.
-
Date: 2026Reported: RG32 / RM31 (Kai) MonkSealMania / Team R&B
Observation: RG32 and RM31 were reported resting together on the rocks.
-
Date: 2026Reported: 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.