Papahānaumokuākea
The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, an area also known as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, stretches for over a thousand miles to the west of Kaua’i. Small blips of reef and sand in the midst of the northern Pacific Ocean, these islands and atolls provide nesting habitat for millions of sea birds and most of the 1,400 remaining critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals.
Starting in 2010, I’ve had multiple opportunities to live and work on Kamole (Laysan Island), Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll), and Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) with NOAA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Friends of Midway Atoll.
Pearl and Hermes in Virtual Reality:
Explore Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll) in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in this 360° video documentary showing where NOAA biologists live and work during summer field seasons while studying endangered Hawaiian monk seals.
Pearl and Hermes Atoll 360° Virtual Tour:
Use this tour to explore 22 panospheres of NOAA’s Hawaiian monk seal field camp and the surrounding natural beauty of Manawai (Pearl and Hermes Atoll).
All above photography and videography captured under NOAA/NMFS Permit No. 10137 and 16632 and Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Permit No. PMNM-2010-001, PMNM-2012-001, PMNM-2013-001, and PMNM-2016-001.