Shuri Araki opens up about the signature Starboard KATANA and his ocean racing philosophy

When Starboard announced Shuri Araki as the newest member of its Dream Team at the beginning of the year, the SUP world took notice. At just 20 years old, the Okinawan has already amassed eight senior World Championship titles – six ISA and two ICF – and remarkably, he has never raced in the junior division. From the moment he burst onto the international scene, he has lined up shoulder to shoulder with the sport’s biggest names.

Now, after an extraordinary season that has already delivered victories across radically different race conditions, Shuri is preparing for one of the races closest to his heart: O2Y – Okinawa to Yanbaru held on 4-5 July. More than just another race on the calendar, O2Y is an open-ocean crossing that has shaped him since childhood. He first paddled Okinawa’s deep waters at the age of six and has competed in O2Y every year since he was nine.

As he prepares to return to his home waters, Araki is offering the an exclusive look at his new Starboard signature KATANA – the board developed alongside his father, Takuji Araki. Founder of KANAKA Okinawa, one of Japan’s leading coaching academies and athlete development programmes, Takuji has spent decades building a philosophy centred not on sheltered flat water, but on mastering the open ocean.

We caught up with Shuri to talk about joining the Starboard Dream Team, the evolution of his signature KATANA, why he believes ocean racing remains the purest expression of stand-up paddling, and why he hopes the sport will embrace more challenging open-water events in the years ahead.

Photo by Andy Klotz

Hi Shuri, welcome back to TotalSUP! First of all, congratulations on an incredible start to the European season. You opened the season with back-to-back victories. What part of your racing are you happiest with right now?

I won my second consecutive title at the European SUP League (ESL)’s World SUP Festival in Santa Pola and claimed my first victory at The Lake Rocks Festival this year. Winning a total of five gold medals across these two events – held in completely opposite water conditions, from rough ocean to mirror-like flat lake water, including my first foil downwind challenge since I was 13 years old (when I raced the Hawaiian M2O with my father) – has given me a great start to the season.

These events are now considered among the world’s largest international races outside of the ICF and ISA, and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. However, I also feel there are more areas I need to improve than things I’m satisfied with.

Photo credit: European SUP League (ESL)

This year also marks an exciting new chapter with Starboard. How did the partnership come about, and what attracted you to the brand?

Winning gold medals at both the ICF and ISA events last year was a major turning point.

I began competing in open races, including the APP World Tour and Euro Tour, at the age of 16 and have never raced in the Junior division. I simply wanted to line up alongside the legendary paddlers and chase them.

For more than a decade, my father purchased and tested boards from various manufacturers at his own expense, yet we never found one that truly matched my physique and paddling style. Throughout 2025, he made dozens of overseas trips to develop our original “KATANA” board. He transported it to Okinawa and carried out advanced, detailed testing in every possible water condition.

Together, we refined five versions – from V1 to V5 – and took them to Abu Dhabi and El Salvador, where we ultimately won three gold medals and one silver medal, with the V4 being the board I raced on.

At one of the events, Starboard founder Svein Rasmussen happened to notice me and our bright red KATANA board. That chance encounter quickly led to two separate agreements: one for me as a team rider and another for my father as a board designer.

It felt like the years of time, effort and personal investment my family and I had poured into this journey had finally been recognized.

Starboard is the brand that helped build the sport of SUP from the ground up. Their spirit of innovation – and, above all, their commitment to protecting the global environment – deeply resonated with me. Having been born and raised on the beautiful islands of Okinawa, I have always cared deeply about environmental conservation, making this partnership especially meaningful.

Shuri Araki at the 2026 Lake Rocks Festival | Photo by Andy Klotz

You’ve had some time on the new equipment now. What stands out most about your Starboard setup?

I started competing this season using a prototype manufactured by Starboard.

The strength of the KATANA is that it gives you an edge in every race. Winning both last year’s ICF and ISA events, as well as this year’s races in Spain and Austria – held in completely opposite conditions – demonstrated its versatility.

Achieving victories across such different race environments is incredibly difficult and would have been unthinkable in the past, but the KATANA made it possible.

Without revealing too much, can you share what excites you most about the new equipment you’re developing with Starboard?

KATANA is finally set to go into production at Starboard toward the end of this summer. More than anything, I’m so thrilled that the board we’ve created will be in the hands of people all over the world, and we’re excited to see how this will help take SUP racing to the next level.

We believe this board will be a major game-changer.

Photo by Andy Klotz

The next major event on the calendar is O2Y – Okinawa to Yanbaru. What makes this race special from an athlete’s perspective?

O2Y is a special race unlike any other.

The unique geography of Okinawa’s islands, surrounded by coral reefs, means the open ocean begins just off the coast, creating conditions that are not easy to navigate. But within the breath-taking natural beauty of Okinawa – a UNESCO World Heritage region rich in history – crossing the ocean becomes a truly unforgettable experience.

I believe that what you gain from taking on this challenge is far more valuable than simply competing or winning a race.

O2Y is a very special event for you, not only as an athlete but also because it’s organised by your father and coach. What does the race mean to you personally?

I began paddling in the deep, open waters of Okinawa when I was six years old, and I have competed in the O2Y race every year since I was nine.

It is a race of ultimate equality – there are no buoy turns and no drafting. It is simply the ocean and the individual facing one another.

The deep waters of Okinawa have shaped both my heart and my soul. I have come this far thanks to my family’s fishing heritage, which created my “road to O2Y.”

Now that my younger sisters have joined the journey, this event has become even more meaningful to me.

From left: Takuji and Shuri Araki | O2Y – Okinawa to Yanbaru 2025

Beyond racing, you’ll also be running downwind clinics during the event. What are you most looking forward to about sharing your knowledge with participants?

What I look forward to most is paddling in the magnificent, beautiful, and dynamic ocean.

The real reason I grew into a strong athlete lies entirely in this island and our lifestyle. I think you would understand immediately if you actually came to Okinawa.

Looking beyond O2Y, what are the biggest objectives you have set for yourself this season?

Lately, I have sensed a growing trend toward emphasizing the “ease and accessibility” of SUP. Naturally, this has led to flat water racing becoming the mainstream (please don’t misunderstand – I love flat water racing too). I understand the importance of making the sport more accessible, but at the same time, I can’t help feeling a little bittersweet about it.

To me, SUP is the ultimate expression of water sports. O2Y is something that can truly be called an adventure.

The legendary paddlers I admired – Jamie Mitchell, Connor Baxter, Zane Kekoa Schweitzer, Kai Lenny, Casper Steinfath, Michael Booth, Travis Grant, Titouan Puyo, Arthur Arutkin, Daniel and Bruno Hasulyo and Noic Garioud – challenged massive waves, rode them with masterful footwork, and showed me their backs as they displayed superhuman, lion-like power. That is why I have chased after them, circling the globe time and again.

I have always taken on difficult challenges. Moving forward, I intend to continue challenging myself – not with the easy path, but with difficult maneuvers, demanding strokes, and challenging waters. See you at the ICF and ISA World Championships at the end of the season!

Photo by Andy Klotz

Thank you Shuri

Find out more about Starboard range at sup.star-board.com

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Follow Kanaka OKINAWA on Facebook and find out more at kanakaokinawa.org

Starboard full Press Release 

*Images courtesy of Shuri Araki