Canoe Surfing “Biggest Waikiki in 30 Years” (Video)

“There are two types of people,” said canoe surfer and competitor, Alika Winter. “There’s the kind that will drop everything when it’s 10 feet, and the ones who always have excuses. This morning, we showed up, we brought the canoes, and everybody that was down showed up and paddled out.”

For more of the backstory on canoe surfing, here’s historian Matt Warshaw:

“Ancient Polynesian form of wave-riding, still practiced in most Pacific Ocean islands, and among a small number of devotees elsewhere in the world. Anthropologists regard the canoe as a defining item in Polynesian culture, with dozens of models and variations used for transport, fishing, racing, war, and burial, as well as recreation.

“With the exception of the great double-hulled canoes used for lengthy inter-island voyages, all ancient Hawaiian canoes followed a similar blueprint: a long and narrow koa wood main hull—just wide enough for a single person and ranging in length from 20 to 80 feet—with a parallel-running wiliwili wood outrigger attached by two booms of hua wood, and all connecting points fastened by braided coconut sennit.”

And these legends, participating in the Ocean Paddler TV Castle’s Cup during the oversized 2022 conditions, are keeping that tradition alive. Better yet, they’re taking it to the next level.

“It’s really cool to come out of a ride,” said canoe surfer Sam Clemens, “whether it’s an amazing ride or an amazing wipeout, and make it to the beach with your crew, and high-five, and have a beer, and log that one in the memory bank.”

Safe to say lots of memorable rides (and beers and high-fives) went down that day.