Moloka'i Hoe

The 2026 OHCRA Scholarship Program is officially open. We are awarding over $20,000 to our student-athletes to support their journey from the shoreline to the classroom.

The Lineup:
• 3 First-Place Awards: $3,000 each for Undergraduate, Graduate, and Trade School applicants.
• 11 Additional Awards: $1,000 each for selected recipients.

Important Dates:
• 6/1: Online Applications due at OHCRA.com.
• 7/12: Scholarship Essay due.
• 7/19: Final deadline to complete your 2-regatta volunteer service.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to fuel your future. Head to our website to apply now! 🌊✨

Flags, buoys, boats, and practice sites…
Season pau, but the work continues. Anyone else spring cleaning?

From the sky, you can feel it — the pulse of Hawaiʻi, the energy of the moana, and the rhythm of hoe wa’a across the Kaiwi Channel. No matter how far we travel or how many channels we cross Hawaiʻi will always be where our heart beats the strongest.

Our journey to the Molokaʻi Hoe began in 2013 with a simple goal — bring Kauaʻi’s top paddlers together into one canoe to compete at the highest level and strengthen a culture of competitive paddling on our island.

Because we come from all parts of Kauaʻi—and almost all of us have young kids—finding time to train together isn’t easy. But we make it work.

For more than a decade, we’ve paddled under the banner of Kauaʻi Waʻa. While I think we’ve been successful on both fronts we set out to achieve, I’ve realized that my own goals have evolved.

I still love the competition. I still love pushing my body to its limits. And I still love the challenge of working together as a team to move a canoe across the channel as fast as possible. But more than anything, I love paddling with my friends—and the lifelong relationships that have come from it.

Paddling isn’t just a sport. It’s a way of life. -Luke

Our journey to the Molokaʻi Hoe began in 2013 with a simple goal — bring Kauaʻi’s top paddlers together into one canoe to compete at the highest level and strengthen a culture of competitive paddling on our island.

Because we come from all parts of Kauaʻi—and almost all of us have young kids—finding time to train together isn’t easy. But we make it work.

For more than a decade, we’ve paddled under the banner of Kauaʻi Waʻa. While I think we’ve been successful on both fronts we set out to achieve, I’ve realized that my own goals have evolved.

I still love the competition. I still love pushing my body to its limits. And I still love the challenge of working together as a team to move a canoe across the channel as fast as possible. But more than anything, I love paddling with my friends—and the lifelong relationships that have come from it.

Paddling isn’t just a sport. It’s a way of life. -Luke

Te Tane Hāna Hoe spoke through the water — a voice of Hāna carried by the rhythm of six men and the hands of a master who shaped her, Leon “Fafa” Toofa.

This year’s race was a tribute — to Uncle Fafa, to Uncle Robert Malaikini, and to every hand that has touched wa‘a in Hāna.
Finishing third in the Koa Division, the crew proved that when legacy leads, the ocean listens.

The koa canoe carries power — not just from the wood, but from the hands that shape it. Few understood that better than kahuna kalaiwa‘a Leon “Fafa” Toofa.

His work demanded precision, patience, and deep respect for both the tree and the ocean. Every line of his canoes carried intention. Te Tane Hāna Hoe, his final creation, stands as proof that true craftsmanship doesn’t fade — it endures in the water, in the paddlers, and in the legacy of those who refuse to let tradition drift.