About Koa Kai Canoe Club

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By the third season, the club’s popularity had grown. Bus drivers, hotel employees, and Pearl Harbor machinists—people who also worked on odd-hour shifts—joined the club because of the flexible practice schedule.

Now that the club was comprised of a good mix of paddlers other than police officers and their families, it was time to re-assess the club’s name and membership criteria. In the best interest of the club and as a way to ensure the club’s legacy and vitality, Charlie Kamai wanted to honor the law enforcement origins of the club while maintaining the spirit and strength of the club’s members. From that moment on, we became Koa Kai . . . the Sea Warriors.
It is important to note that Koa Kai would not exist today if it were not for the hard work and perseverance of those first club members. We truly thank the visionaries who did what they had to do and made it work.

In 2014, after 34 years with the Hui Wa'a Association, Koa Kai applied for and was accepted into the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association. Today, Koa Kai has 90 active members consisting of both youth and adult paddlers. We own 15 fiberglass canoes and two koa canoes. You can find us at our original club site: Magic Island/Ala Moana Beach Park. Our club colors (we now honor red, white, and black) and the faces of our membership may have changed, but we still remember our roots: from a small group of police officers we became Koa Kai, the Sea Warriors.

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