On October 12, hundreds of paddlers braved the grueling 40-mile Ka’iwi Channel in the 2025 Moloka’i Hoe, from Moloka’i to Waikiki Beach in Oahu.
Billed as the World Championship of Paddling, this race was a matchup between two of Tahiti’s top teams: Team OPT, a dominant force throughout 2025, and Shell Va’a, the perennial champion in outrigger paddling.
Team OPT finished first in a blistering 4 hours, 42 minutes, and 2 seconds, with Shell Va’a finishing second. To no one’s surprise, Tahitian paddlers dominated this race, with Popra Te Hoe Mamu and Rurutu Hoe finishing third and fourth.
This was Team OPT’s first win at Moloka’i Hoe, unseating the three-time defending champion Shell Va’a. Shell Va’a had won 13 of the last 15 editions of this race since 2006.
Hulis Happen, but Champions Respond
Team OPT’s win was especially impressive considering they had a huli two hours into the race, which allowed Shell Va’a to pull even for the first time in the race.
“Hey, we just had to change our mindset,” said Team OPT’s Temoana Taputu. “We flipped the canoe back over and just pushed, pushed, and pushed on.” And push they did, all the way to the finish line, more than two minutes ahead of Shell Va’a.
The crossing of the Ka‘iwi Channel has become the cornerstone of achievement in the Va‘a community, according to Luana Froiseth, race director of the club sponsor, the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association (OHCRA). And this year’s race was no different. “It was an extraordinary race,” said ARE Tahiti executive Francesca Altomonte. “ARE Tahiti is proud to be associated with this event.“
To learn more about ARE TAHITI canoes, visit www.aretahiti.com. Or see what’s available at ShopOutrigger.com, your ultimate destination for everything a paddler might need, including canoes, clothing, and accessories.
