OIST Haarii boat club was born out of our passion and enthusiasm for dragon boat races and Okinawan culture!

OIST's Haarii Club participates in the annual Haarii race at Onna Maeganeku port, and we always have a great time engaging with our Onna neighbours by trying our best to compete with the professional fishermen and hotel crews.

We have our own Haarii boat and can practice year-round at Seragaki port. If you want to help create OIST history and win a local Haarii race, we’ll need to get plenty of practice in. Since 2024, we’ve also started competing in additional races, such as the all-island race in Nago. On June 21, 2026, the OIST Haarii Club joined the Yomitan Haarii for the first time and became Champions with a time of 1:38:31 (photos of the race can be found on Flickr).

It's a great sport for team building, regular core exercise, and enjoying the Okinawan experience - all at the same time!

Newcomers are welcome to join and enjoy paddling towards the sunset! Sessions are usually held on Tuesdays from 18:00 during warmer months, or Sundays at 16:00 during winter at Seragaki Fishing Port next to OIST's Marine Science Station.

Details on how to join the club can be found on this page (internal access only).