KIALOA originated from a shared love of being on the ocean as outrigger canoe paddlers, living on the windward side of Oahu. We paddled together, raced each other, and afterward talked story and celebrated the shared experiences that brought us together and kept us together - like family ('ohana).
We moved from the Hawaiian oceans to the Oregon mountains and realized that this shared love of being on the water applied equally to the oceans, lakes and rivers of the Pacific Northwest, and to the people who paddle them. Our reverence for being on the water is reflected in this new site, and what you'll find here; a collection of products for being in, on and around the water and stories from the people who use them. It's our intention to enhance the connection to the water and to one another and to share stories from the community that celebrate those connections.
Born on the Island of Oahu in 1991, KIALOA Paddles grew out of Dave Chun's love for the sport of outrigger canoe racing. Driven by the desire to build the best paddles in the world, Dave started crafting wood paddles on his parents' lanai. Shortly thereafter, he met Meg, a midwesterner transplanted to Hawaii. It was a marriage of west and east, island heritage and mainland progressiveness.
The Chuns moved the company to Bend, Oregon in 1992, bringing the Aloha spirit with them. Against all odds, they started an outrigger club in the High Desert. Nowadays KIALOA makes a full line of stand up, outrigger and dragon boat paddles. And you can still find Dave and Meg paddling on the Deschutes River near the shop, together on the water.
