JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Five members from the Pacific Region Spouses Group joined together to count humpback whales from Marine Corps Base Hawaii’s Pyramid Rock Jan. 30 in Kaneohe, Hawaii.
The Sanctuary Ocean Count project is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide scientists with data documenting the humpback whales’ annual 2,500-mile, round-trip migration from Alaska to the Hawaiian Islands.
“This distance pales in comparison to some military members' last PCS!” said Faith Carrabis, a key spouse with the Pacific Region Spouses Group and volunteer observer for the whale count. Carrabis coordinated the spouses' participation in the NOAA Whale Count. She is also wife to Senior Master Sgt. Manolito Carrabis, Readiness and Emergency Management Program manager, Air Force Installation Management Support Center, Detachment 2.
The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is the nationally-protected winter home to the Northern Pacific humpback whale population. Shoreline sections of Kauai, Oahu, Hawaii and waterways among Molokai, Maui and Lanai comprise the sanctuary’s protected waters.
This year, the twentieth anniversary of the ocean count program, coincides with the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Command Pacific Region Spouses Group inaugural year of operation.
The Air Force’s newest command, the IMSC, branches into 10 detachments to provide support to installations worldwide. The new spouses group's alma mater, Det. 2, provides support to the Pacific region from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Detachment spouses formed the group in December to create a social and support network which would serve and connect both the members and the community.
“The group counted eighteen whales including a mother and calf duo,” according to a Sanctuary Ocean Count Site Leader, Capt. Natalie Chounet. Chounet is the IMSC Det. 2 Basing and Beddown Flight’s deputy chief. She has volunteered as a Sanctuary Ocean Count site leader since 2015.
Each year, Sanctuary Ocean Count officials invite the public to assist in observing and recording whale population and behavior data in order to document population changes and distribution as well as behaviors while the ocean-going mammals are in the area.
“The ocean count offers a truly-unique experience for military members and their families who might have limited time to experience life in the middle of the Pacific,” said Sonia Berrios, also a volunteer observer and wife of Lt. Col. David Berrios, Readiness Branch chief, AFIMSC Det. 2. “Marine Corps Base Hawaii is a one-of-a-kind rendezvous point for military travelers who might be wintering or living in Hawaii. This is such a great opportunity since we have access to the only military base from which the official count is conducted.”
The spouses group leveraged their underlying core values during the half-day event as they relied on key communication skills to ensure an accurate count. The team’s performance also exemplified their mission: to provide a strong social structure for unit families and to perpetuate the unit’s community on Oahu.
“The volunteers’ dedication and cohesion was obvious throughout the day,” Chounet said. “As was their ability to optimize team performance. Through cooperation and constant communication, they sited and documented very active humpbacks on a clear path to the North Shore protected waters.”
One of the group’s goals is to blend relaxed, fun events with a means for unit families to reach beyond the familiar and focus on unique experiences that aren’t available at every military assignment. The success of the day’s whale-count project verifies this new group is starting off with a splash in the right direction.
Visit www.facebook.com/groups/170050350004199 to find out more about the Pacific Region Spouses Group.
“The Sanctuary Ocean Count project offers the community a chance to monitor humpback whales from the shores of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi and Kauaʻi. The count is held the last Saturday of January, February, and March (during peak whale season) of each year from 8:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.,” according to the NOAA and National Marine Sanctuaries website.
Visit http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/involved/ocwelcome.html to find out more about the Ocean Sanctuary Count.