Where it all started....

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 a prime location on the beautiful Strand, Townsville.  Some of our members have a very long history with the club, testament to a strong connection, sense of family and belonging, loyalty and pride for Coral Sea OCC.  

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 over 4000 years.  The earliest outrigger craft are though to have originated around 2000 BC when ancient Polynesians ventured into the Eastern Pacific Ocean and settled the remote island 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.