The Coral Sea Outrigger Canoe Club Incorporated was formed by a group of enthusiastic paddlers in 1995, based at Magnetic Island. In 1998, the Club was relocated to the prime location on the beautifully redeveloped Strand. Our canoes are located on the beach near the Rockpool end of the Strand,
Coral Sea has had many successes over its relatively short history, including in 2019 when our ladies took out the OC6 women’s champions for the North Queensland zone.
If you haven’t had a chance to try this great sport and are keen to give it a go, we welcome and encourage you to contact us and get involved!
About outrigging The sport of outrigger canoe racing is steeped in Polynesian traditions and culture. The va'a is a Polynesian outrigger canoe with a slender hull connected to an ama, which provides ballast and lift, by two wooden spars (iako).
Outrigger canoes have been travelling the Pacific Ocean for 4000 years. The earliest outrigger craft are thought to have originated around 2000 BC when ancient Polynesians ventured into the Eastern Pacific Ocean and settled the remote islands of the Pacific Rim.
The first outrigger canoe race was in the Hawaiian Islands in Waikiki in 1917 and has grown as a competitive sport in Australia, starting in the Whitsundays as a competition between staff on the resort islands.