The Thrill of the Glide

"Paddles up, and ... hoe!”

Six paddles switch sides on the outrigger canoe, then slice through the crystalline water. If the next stroke is done in perfect harmony, you'll feel the catch reverberating within you as six individual blades enter the water and pull together as one. 

We recover and bring our paddles forward for the next stroke, while the “stroker” (in Seat 1) sets the cadence and the “caller” (Seat 3) counts and shouts for changes to our forward trajectory. The “steer-person” (Seat 6) keeps a watchful eye on our safety, making course corrections that ensure our group works together with minimal wasted effort.

Heading back to the beach, we ride the waves towards the waiting shoreline. We savor the exhilaration of being out on the open water, paddles in hand, sunlight on our faces, and the satisfying sensation of sweat pooling in the recesses of our collective bodies. 

I’ve always been one for team sports, but experiencing six independent bodies working together to create a collective whole is something I’ve never felt before. It’s a feeling you instinctively perceive the minute it happens – which it doesn’t always. But when your team is working in perfect sync, you can feel it deep within you: that treasured moment you’ll try to recreate every time your paddle enters the water.

Though it’s hardly the experience of being one of “The Boys in the Boat," I was able to experience the thrill of the glide onboard an outrigger canoe off the shores of Ka’anapali, Maui. It makes sense to try your hand at paddling here, as ancient Polynesians invented the sport.

According to Hawaiian Paddle Sports (HPS), a watersports outfitter in Kihei, Maui, “Outrigger canoes first arrived in Hawaii around 200 AD. Some large enough to hold up to 80 people, they were filled with essential items like edible plants, water and animals to ensure a somewhat safer voyage for (those) who took off in search of land. By following the migration patterns of birds seen flying overhead, explorers soon discovered the Hawaiian Islands.” And when giant Koa trees were found on the Big Island, native inhabitants learned they could build an entire canoe hull from a single piece of wood.

The creation of a new canoe began with a kahuna (Hawaiian priest) following a ‘elepaio bird into the forest. Since the bird was “attracted to rotting Koa wood,” the kahuna would know which of the trees were still sturdy and strong, and which to avoid.

The canoe builders would then be summoned to the forest, and the process of felling the tree and carrying it to the beach would begin. Oftentimes hundreds of men would be needed to transport the tree to its halau wa’a (canoe house), and then the kalai wa’a (carver) would begin shaping the hull. Black paint, made from a mixture of plants and charcoal, was added to the outer shell to help keep the canoe waterproof, while royalty would enjoy an added layer of glossy paint made from hens' eggs. Woodcrafters would then customize paddles for each member of the canoe’s team, with each seat often named after the individual paddler.

While the Hawaiian outrigger canoe has gone through many iterations since its initial inception, they remain “built for battling conditions in the open ocean and are recognized for their unique shape, design and lack of extra ornamentation or decoration,” notes HPS.

Over the centuries, outrigger canoes continued to be built, with racing entering the equation. Estimates of thousands of outriggers scattered throughout the Hawaiian Islands led to competitions amongst the paddlers, which brought betting along as a side hustle. This led to racing being outlawed by Queen Ka’ahumanu but was later brought back by King Kalakaua in the late 1800s. Then in 1908, Oahu’s Outrigger Canoe Club was founded, helping to revive interest not only in outrigger canoeing, but surfing as well.

Understandably, outfitters today choose relatively calm beachfront locations to take tourists out for their first taste of the sport. The day we entered the ocean off Maui’s western shore for our early morning ride, there wasn’t a swell in sight; just clean, clear, glassy water. The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, where I was staying, made the experience even easier because of their relationship with We Paddle Maui, a company that lost its storefront location in Lahaina’s fire but has found a new home with the resort.

In a conversation with Eric Frankum, the resort’s senior marketing manager, he explained the reason behind the recently forged partnership. An outrigger canoer and racer himself, Frankum speaks from a familiarity not only with the surrounding area, but as someone with a passion for the ocean.

“When many visitors come to Hawaii, they’ll do a ‘cultural activity’ like lei-making. But if you want to experience a completely different way to connect with the culture you need to get out on the water, and this is the ideal place to try it because it’s scenic, safe, and serene.

“Another cool factor is that you’ll go out with professional watermen who are also big wave surfers or competitive paddlers,” says Frankum. “And if you’re here between October and March, you’ll have a good chance of seeing humpback whales.”

We didn’t see any whales the morning my group paddled out, but I did witness something that’s pretty unusual these days: an uninterrupted hour of being completely present with no distractions and no need to do anything else but be in the moment and completely participatory. That paired well with the feeling of achieving the perfect glide, when every effort comes together in one harmonious moment.   X