Happy weekend, Hawaii! This is part of Spectrum News Hawaii’s weekly series, where we recap the top stories you may have missed throughout the week.
Note: The stories below have been truncated, so please click on the links to read them in their entirety.
This week’s big stories
1. First whale of the season spotted in Hawaii
The leaves in Hawaii may not change color in the fall months, but the humpback whales always return — and with multiple sightings of the magnificent marine mammals in the waters around the Hawaiian Islands, we can declare that whale season has officially begun.
The first spotting of a humpback whale in waters off of Maui took place on Sept. 21, 2025, according to Whale Trust. The nonprofit said it was an early start to whale season.
“The first whale that we heard of that was spotted was on September 21, 2025, this year by Sea Maui Catamarans,” said Whale Trust spokesperson Caitlin Carroll in an email to Spectrum News Hawaii. “We have relationships with many of the whale watching companies around Maui, and they let us know when they see early season whales.”
Along with this September sighting, another whale was spotted on Tuesday off of Maui in the middle of the ‘Au’au channel by Hawaii Ocean Rafting, according to Carroll.
2. Governor Green signs clean energy pact with Okinawa
Gov. Josh Green wrapped up his weeklong visit to Japan on Monday by joining Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki in signing a five-year memorandum of cooperation on clean energy.
The agreement, which focuses on shared goals for renewable energy, clean transportation and grid innovation, effectively renews a partnership between the Hawaii State Energy Office and the Okinawa Prefectural Government that was first established in 2010.
“Hawaii and Okinawa share more than history,” Green said. “We share purpose. Together, we’re proving that island communities can lead the world in clean energy and resilience, while honoring the cultural ties that bind us.”
The visit coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Hawaii–Okinawa sister-state relationship and the 125th anniversary of Okinawan immigration to Hawaii.
Gov. Josh Green was Okinawa on Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Hawaii–Okinawa sister-state relationship and the 125th anniversary of Okinawan immigration to Hawaii. (Office of Gov. Josh Green)
3. Team OPT stuns Shell Va’a as Tahitian crews finish top 4 at Molokai Hoe
Wailea Canoe Club’s Kekoa Cramer put it bluntly, and no one in his vicinity chose to dispute it.
“The Tahitians are unreal,” the steersman from Maui said.
The island in French Polynesia produced the top four finishing crews of Sunday’s Molokai Hoe, the men’s world championship of distance paddling.
That Tahiti produced the winner was not a surprise. But the identity of the winning crew was.
Team OPT, comprised of up-and-comers in their mid-20s, crossed the Ka‘iwi Channel in 4 hours, 42 minutes and 2 seconds, dethroning Shell Va’a, the three-time defending champion and winner of 13 of the last 15 editions of the race going back to 2006.
Shell finished runner-up in 4:44:57 — and its paddlers did not look happy about it as they disembarked at Kahanamoku Beach in front of members of the Royal Court of the Aloha Festivals. Popora Te Hoe Mamu arrived third in 4:50:24.
“It’s the first time for OPT to get the win today,” said paddler Temoana Taputu, 27. “And yeah, we’re all only young guys on my canoe, and (it’s) just incredible.”
OPT is a postal and telecommunications company in Tahiti. Like with Shell, the paddlers are employees of the company.
One-hundred six crews crossed the 42-mile distance from Hale O Lono Harbor on Molokai to Kahanamoku Beach. Conditions were described as tough. The winning time was about seven minutes off last year’s pace set by the dynastic Shell squad.
Team OPT’s canoe flipped over about two hours into the race. It allowed Shell to draw even for a time.
“We just changed the mindset,” Taputu said of what happened on the huli. And we (were) just like, we flip and take back the canoe and we just say ‘hey, it’s like the finish line. Just push, push, push hard.’ And we see that’s working for us.”
Team OPT’s nine-person crew consisted of Taputu, Tuatea Teraiamano, Viriura Tainanuarii, Aunuarii Maker, Tuteariimaroura Hoatua, Hitiroa Masingue, Keith Vernaudon, Keahi Agnieray and Narai Atger.
Wailea, in 4:58:13, was the first Hawaii-based club to finish and, at fifth place overall, the last canoe to do it in under 5 hours.
4. Hawaii airports remain running despite federal government shutdown
Two weeks after the federal government shutdown began, Hawaii’s airports are running smoothly thanks to federal employees continuing to stay on the job, prompting praise from Hawaii state officials, according to a Hawaii Department of Transportation news release.
Numerous airports across the continental U.S. have been disrupted by the shutdown — flight towers having to close for several hours, flight delays, reduced flights and longer wait times. In Hawaii, “airports have not experienced a significant impact due primarily to the commitment of federal employees who have been reporting to work.”
“We know federal workers and their families are facing uncertainty as a result of the shutdown. The fact that they continue to show up for work at our airports to minimize air travel disruptions is a testament to their character and shows how much they care for their fellow Hawaii residents as well as our visitors,” said Governor Josh Green in the release. “The state will do whatever we can to support federal airport workers in Hawaii as they continue to provide critical services to air travelers.”
The Hawaii Department of Transportation continues to communicate with federal partners including the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
To date, there has been minimal impact to security screening, air traffic control and agricultural inspections at Hawaii airports.
According to the Hawaii Department of Transportation, security screening has seen minimal impact due to the federal shutdown. (Getty Images/Salameh Dibaei)
5. Aerial survey to check for CRB damage in Kona Palisades area
The Big Island Invasive Species Committee is partnering with the Spatial Data and Visualization Lab at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii County to conduct a low-altitude helicopter flight on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 14 in an ongoing effort to eradicate the Coconut rhinoceros beetle, according to a BIISC release.
The helicopter will fly over the Kona Palisades area and surrounding communities in the morning to collect imagery of palms that can be analyzed for evidence of CRB damage. It will also help identify unmanaged piles of green waste that could serve as potential breeding sites for the invasive beetle.
BIISC surveys of palms are currently done from the roadside using binoculars, limiting visibility to palms that can only be seen from public access points. Aerial images will provide researchers with a more complete view of palms spread across the landscape and enable BIISC to identify potential problem areas and prioritize follow-up inspections.
“The imagery we collect will not only help detect trees showing possible CRB damage, but also give us valuable baseline data for how palms look now,” said BIISC Program Manager Franny Brewer in the release. “This helps us track changes over time and respond more quickly to new infestations.”
AloJapan.com