Molokai Teams Do Well but Tahitians Sweep Molokai Hoe

Photo by Marissa Motas

By Léo Azambuja

Two Molokai teams competing in the Molokai Hoe made their island proud; the boys in the junior division placed 7th, and the men in the Open division improved their time from last year. In the end, the Tahitians stole the show by sweeping the first four positions among 106 teams finishing the 41-mile outrigger canoe race from Molokai to Oahu last Sunday.

“We want to give a big congratulations for the team from Tahiti making their crossing of the finish line and being the number one on this year’s 2025 Molokai Hoe World Championship,” Rogue TV host Kamaka Pili said during a live broadcast as Team OPT from Tahiti crossed the finish line in front of the Moana Hotel in Waikiki, Oahu.

After several tries, including a second-place finish in 2019, Team OPT won the Molokai Hoe for the first time, taking four hours, 42 minutes and two seconds — the ninth fastest time of all races — to beat their compatriots, Shell Vaʻa, by nearly three minutes. The favorites Shell Va‘a had won the race more than 10 times, including the previous three editions.

More than 1,000 paddlers participated in 106 teams taking off at Hale O Lono Harbor on Molokai’s westside at 8 a.m. Without large swells, speed and paddling dictated this year’s race across the Kaiwi Channel. 

As veteran paddler and Rogue TV host Malia Kamisugi — who just competed in the Na Wahine O Ke Kai — said, Team OPT were “absolutely hammering every bump,” meaning they were able to find swells to glide and generate speed. They almost let their lead slip when their canoe huli, or turned, in the ocean during the race. But they were able to recover, get back in their canoe and keep their lead.

Two Molokai teams represented the island. Team Waʻakapaemua, paddling onboard the Peahelaumakani canoe, finished in 24th place. Despite placing lower than last year, when they finished in 17th place, Waʻakapaemua crossed the Kaiwi Channel in five hours, 39 minutes and 18 seconds, bettering their time from last year’s race by two minutes and 27 seconds. 

Photo by Marissa Motas

The other Molokai team also did quite well. The boys from Kukui O Molokai, finished seventh in the Juniors 15-to-18-years-old division and 56th overall. The boys, paddling on the Kahekili‘ahumanu canoe, took six hours, 11 minutes and five seconds to cross the Kaiwi Channel. Considering the caliber and number of world-class competitors, arriving in the middle of the pack was quite an accomplishment for the boys from Molokai.

The first Hawaiian team to cross the finish line was Wailea Canoe Club, from Maui. They placed fifth, taking four hours, 58 minutes and 13 seconds to cross the channel. Last year, the club had placed second. The interesting detail about them was that the canoe they used is named Hoʻolehua, a Molokai town that is home to many Hawaiian homesteaders.

The history of the Molokai Hoe goes back many decades. It is one of the longest running annual sports team events in Hawaii — second to football.

In the morning of Oct. 12, 1952, three six-man koa outrigger canoes launched from Kawakiu Beach on Molokai’s westside toward Oahu. Molokai’s canoe, Kukui O Lanakila, landed at Waikiki eight hours and 55 minutes later, winning the first Molokai Hoe. 

Today, 73 years later, more than 1,000 paddlers competing for more than 100 teams take on the annual challenge in one of the world’s most prestigious outrigger canoe races. In this year’s race, besides Hawaiian and Tahitian teams, there were teams from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Australia, California and Washington State. In past years, there were teams from Japan, Brazil and other places. 

The Molokai Hoe and the Na Wahine O Ke Kai, the women’s race held a couple weeks ago, are organized by the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Race Association with the support of several sponsors.

OHCRA is committed to honoring the host community through meaningful partnerships that extend beyond race day. A portion of the proceeds from both races benefit the Friends of Molokai High and Middle Schools Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports educational programs and extracurricular activities for students at those schools. OHCRA contributed $10,000 to the foundation, funded by the participating crews in the channel crossings. This ongoing support helps Molokai’s student athletes participate in interscholastic activities while strengthening the bond between the paddling community and the island.

Visit www.molokaihoe.com for more information.