WATCH CROSSING BONES: THE PERE BLOODLINE CONTINUES IN THE KA'IWI CHANNEL

In 1997, Hawaiian waterman Guy Pere won the inaugural Molokaʻi-to-Oʻahu (M2O) paddleboard race. Now, nearly three decades later, his son Toa is carving his own name into the channel’s storied waters.

The 32-mile crossing of the Ka‘iwi Channel—called “the most unforgiving stretch of open ocean” by those who’ve battled its winds, swells, and testing final miles—has become more than just a race. For the Pere family, it’s a proving ground, a rite of passage, and a shared language of ocean knowledge and generational connection.

“Toa reminds me of me,” Guy says. “But he’s better. He’s already surpassed me. He puts in the work, he’s motivated, and he’s just flowing out there—like it’s effortless.”

Toa first crossed the Ka‘iwi Channel at just 14 years old. “It gave me self-confidence I didn’t know I had,” he reflects. “Crossing the channel kind of propels me in life. It shows that I can get through anything I put my mind to.”

Mike Takahashi, co-founder of the M2O race, says it’s exactly that test—the unrelenting mental and physical challenge—that draws athletes like the Pere family back year after year. “Once the dust settles,” Takahashi adds, “and you realize what you did… it really sinks in.” But he’s also quick to point out that Toa is something rare: “He’s got that special kind of motivation. You can’t buy that. You can’t teach that. It has to be inside you.”

The Pere father-son bond pulses through every training run and every crossing. “We have these little conversations while I’m next to him, while he’s paddling,” Guy says. “It’s just such fine tuning now. But he listens. He absorbs it. And then—boom—he’s faster.”

On July 27th, 2025 Toa will take on the field in the stock division of the 26th edition of the race.

For more info, visit molokai2oahu.com.