Our story
E Hoʻolono i ke Kai
Who started Nalu
Started on Kauaʻi
Nalu Gear was started on Kauaʻi by Kaina Makua. A 2002 graduate of Waimea High School, Kaina earned a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and taught Hawaiian language for ten years. In 2014 he left the classroom to start a poi company and farm ten acres of loʻi kalo.
He has coached the Kilohana Hoe Waʻa outrigger club since 2012, and co-founded Kumano I Ke Ala, a nonprofit that empowers youth through cultural education, leadership and workforce readiness. In 2025 he played Kamehameha in the Apple TV+ series Chief of War. Kaina started Nalu Gear to make gear for the paddling community he has been part of for years: the crews he coaches at Kilohana Hoe Waʻa, the clubs they race against, and everyone who spends their days close to the water.
On the water
Nalu makes gear for paddlers: club crews in training, racers on race day, and anyone who spends long hours in an outrigger canoe. The jerseys and tanks are lightweight polyester, the waterproof hats and dry bags are made to get wet, and the snapbacks, tees and flannels are for the rest of the day, close to the water.
Kilohana Hoe Waʻa
Kaina has coached the Kilohana Hoe Waʻa outrigger club on Kauaʻi since 2012.
What Nalu makes
Paddling
Jerseys, tanks, long sleeves, waterproof hats and dry bags for training and race day.
