With its stunning nature-made backdrops of breathtaking coastlines and glistening blue waters, Hawaiʻi hosts many ocean sports competitions year-round. From the revered sport of outrigger canoe racing to the exhilarating challenges of surfing, open-water swimming and bodyboarding, these competitions reflect our longtime close relationship with and reliance on the sea for recreation and more. Here are several ocean events and sports competitions happening this year in Hawai‘i.

Kaua‘i
On your mark, get set, PADDLE! Clients visiting Kaua‘i this summer will want to catch the action of the Nā Pali Challenge, hailed as one of the world’s most scenic canoe races. The annual race begins at Hanalei Bay on Kaua‘i’s north shore and continues 37 miles alongside the sea cliffs, valleys and waterfalls of the epic Nāpali Coast before ending at Kīkīaola Small Boat Harbor. Suggest your clients check out the thrill of the race’s climactic start and finish lines to watch hardy men’s and women’s teams from Hawai‘i and around the world battle the coast’s rough waters for supremacy.

O‘ahu
The annual Duke Kahanamoku Ocean Festival honors its namesake, Duke Kahanamoku, Hawai‘i’s multiple Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer, renowned waterman and Waikīkī beach boy, pioneer of the sport of surfing, and unofficial Ambassador of Aloha. This festival celebrates his life and passions with nine days of surf and shoreline sports competitions in Waikīkī. Clients viewing it from the beach will have an array of festival events and competitions to observe, including surfing, swimming, canoe paddling, surfboard water polo, beach volleyball, foil boarding and even canine surfing.

Maui Nui
The Gathering of the Voyagers is an annual celebration of the ocean-voyaging traditions, values and cultures of Hawai‘i and Polynesia. Hosted by the Fairmont Kea Lani resort in partnership with the Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Voyaging Society, the three-day festival brings together revered voyagers, navigators, canoe carvers and cultural practitioners from around the world. Clients attending will experience the gathering’s traditional ceremonies, demonstrations, live entertainment, fashion show, a local-products mākeke (market) and a paddling voyage around Molokini islet. Event dates forthcoming.

Island of Hawai‘i
Often billed as the world’s largest outrigger canoe race, this year’s 50th annual Queen Liliʻuokalani Canoe Race will gather over 2,500 long-distance paddlers from around the world. In August, clients will enjoy viewing multiple races in Kona, including a body-testing 18-mile single-hull race between Historic Kailua Village and Hōnaunau Bay. Named in honor of Hawai‘i’s last reigning monarch, the event’s schedule also includes a torchlight parade and an awards lū‘au. Also in August, the IVF World Sprint Championships is a renowned international canoe racing event, held every two years in east-side Hilo town. It brings together paddlers from around the world for thrilling outrigger canoe races. In addition to catching the races, attendees can immerse themselves in Polynesian and Pacific Islander culture at ceremonies, cultural performances and demonstrations that highlight the deep history and cultural significance of outrigger canoes.