In the Islands, outrigger canoe paddling is more than an enormously popular sport—it's a culturally significant link to the extraordinary seafaring traditions of Hawaii's first people. Designated the state's official team sport, outrigger canoe racing draws hundreds of paddlers to clubs throughout the Islands.
Hawaii's first settlers came to the Islands aboard double-hauled sailing canoes that they paddled across some 2,000 miles of uncharted ocean using only the stars and flight patterns of birds to guide them. They found the Islands more than 1,000 years before European explorers arrived in 1778. Canoes were used for travel among the islands, for fishing, for sport, to transport warriors into battle, and for exploratory voyages throughout the Pacific.
Today, they are paddled primarily for sport, sightseeing and research.
Typically an outrigger is powered by six paddlers in a 45-foot fiberglass canoe. Single and double-person canoes also are used. The distinguishing feature is the ama, which is a float or pontoon attached to one side of the hull to provide added stability in rough, open water.
You don't have to join a club to paddle. Guided tours are available. Kona Beach Boys, in Kailua-Kona, conducts outrigger tours in Kailua Bay with narration based on the myths and legends of Hawaii's kings, queens and gods. If you want to watch, check out a paddling club practice. Crews can be seen in Kailua Bay, Hilo Bay and a number of other locations.
Full-scale replicas of traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes can be found throughout the islands. Built according to ancient design and used to test theories of early Hawaiian migrations and navigational techniques, these sailing canoes have been used to conduct numerous research voyages in the Pacific.
