Here’s Why More Than 1,000 Paddlers are Racing from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu on Sunday

Paddlers from around the world will cross the Kaiwi Channel on Oct. 9 as part of the world championship of outrigger canoe racing, the Moloka‘i Hoe.

October 7, 2016

Michael Keany,

Photo: Kevin T. Mchugh

More than 1,000 paddlers from around the world will compete in the world championship of outrigger canoe racing, the Moloka‘i Hoe, on Oct. 9. This year is the race’s 63rd year crossing the Kaiwi Channel from Moloka‘i to O‘ahu, a trip that can take nine hours or more to complete. In this photo, Outrigger Team California quickly exchanges paddlers in the 1, 3 and 5 positions of its 6-seat canoe during a water-change as its escort boat watches from behind in the heart of the Kaiwi Channel.

For more information on the race, or to catch a live broadcast of the competition on race day, visit molokaihoe.com.

This article appears in the October 2016 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.