coaches corner

Meet the Coaches

john puakea

Head Coach

Oahu, HI and West Coast, USA
Instagram: @puakeajohn
Rate: 1:1 private lesson at $300 USD for 90 minutes
Call or text: 808-499-8195

Over years of coaching, John’s own experience as an elite paddler, combined with his talent for refining technique and efficiency, have nurtured the best assets of other paddlers at the highest level of competition. After coaching the US National Kayak Team at various Olympic training centers, homesick, John moved back to Hawaii to coach various top outrigger canoe teams, including both the men’s and the women’s team for the winning Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki for six years.

As an exceptional technical coach, John has helped push world-class paddlers to the next level in international competition. His ability to improve the performance of already-elite paddlers also led Team Bradley to consecutive first-place finishes in the Molokai-to-Oahu Na Wahine O Ke Kai, and to the fastest crossing time by any women’s team in the history of the race. Johnny has also coached top OC1 paddlers like Jimmy Austin, Danny Ching, Lauren Spalding and Ryland Hart.

paolo ameglio

Accredited Coach

Florida
Instagram: @watermanpaolo
Rate: 1:1 private lesson at $95 USD and $145 for 2:1 (boat rentals for lessons are available at an additional cost)
Call or text: 786-251-2588

Born in Panama, Paolo spent much of his time on the Pacific waters of its isthmus. He found competitive paddling as an adult and has been active in the sport for the past 15 years. As a member of Team USA Dragon Boat, he has become a part of the coaching staff for the national crew. Outrigger paddling has been an evolution as he discovered the benefits of small boat paddling to improve his performance in both the OC-6 and dragon boat. In 2022, Paolo was the USA Elite Coach for the IVF World Sprints in London. The feel of the community and the friendship that comes from this sport is one of the main passions in his life. Every time he has the opportunity to work with someone new and watch them grow, he also grows, as a coach and as a paddler.

You can find Paolo with Johnny, April Zilg and Danny Ching coaching on their online coaching platform for paddlers, Paddle Ninja Training.

leanne stanley

Accredited Coach

BC, Canada
Instagram: @type1kanu
Email Leanne Here

Growing up on Georgian Bay in Canada, Leanne has always loved the water. Though not introduced to paddling until 1998, the water has always had a calming yet invigorating influence on her. Over the past 20 years, she has won numerous National titles in marathon canoe and outrigger as well as several World Dragon Boat and Outrigger Sprint Championships, along with a win at Queen Lili, a 4th at Na Wahine O Ke Kai, and 4th at the 2017 inaugural World Va'a Distance Championships with Team Canada and 4th in the V1.

Looking for more info on Leanne’s services, rates, schedule and bio? Head to her website and get The Stanley Edge.

april zilg

Accredited Coach

North Carolina
Instagram: @aprilzilg
Email April Here

April Zilg is a gold medalist in the Pan American Surfing Games, Gorge Downwind OC1 Champion, WPA World Champion, and APP World Tour Vice World Champion. After training and competing for the better part of the last decade, all of her hard work learning how to train and properly fuel finally paid off and now she wishes to share all she's learned on her route to success as the founder of the Athlete Agenda and the co-founder of Paddle Ninja.

Follow her on Instagram for weekly Paddle Tip Tuesdays, on YouTube for behind the scenes videos on paddle competition, training, and life, or read the rest of her bio before exploring her blog and current projects. 

jimi spoto

Accredited Coach

Oregon and Washington
Instagram: @jpspoto
Rate: 1:1 private lesson at $100 USD for 90 minutes
Call or Text: 949-423-6001

Jimi has been paddling with the Newport Aquatic Center (NAC) since 2000, starting with flatwater kayak and made the transition to outrigger in 2004. Since then he has competed in 5 Molokai Hoe crossings, Olamau (2013), Hawaiki Nui Va'a (2014, 2015), IVF Long Distance Championship in 2017 (getting 2nd place with NAC) and 18 US Championship Catalina Crossings. He has coached the NAC junior and men's teams and has been coached by Johnny Puakea for a number of years. He recently moved up the PNW and is looking forward to meeting the community in 2022. To him, paddling is about being apart of something bigger than himself, "being able to help others and to be able to compete against the best paddlers in the sport is very humbling."

rj de rama

Accredited Coach - Adaptive

Southern California
Instagram: @rjderama
Rate: A suggested donation to Makapo of $60 USD for a 60 minute session
Email RJ Here

RJ is a visually impaired paddler, a co-founder of the Makapo Aquatics Project, and is an adaptive coach for Puakea Designs. He has been paddling since 2006 and has paddled in various races in the US and Hawaii, including the Moloka’i Hoe and the Catalina US Championships. Through various opportunities, RJ has had the chance to paddle with lots of different people in many settings. These interactions have encouraged paddlers, like himself, to establish and maintain programs for paddlers with disabilities. His goal in his paddling journey is to help get more people with disabilities get on the water. RJ loves sharing ideas and learning from others, making him an open and compassionate coach.

dave krueger

Accredited Coach

Southern California
Instagram: @culturehotsauce
Rate: 1:1 private lesson at $100 USD for 90 minutes
Call or Text: 714-381-4016

Dave has been paddling since 2010 with the Newport Aquatic Center. He has also paddled with teams like 404, Team USA Dragon Boat, and POCA for world distance and sprints. His favorite events to compete in so far are Hawaiki Nui and Olamau. Dave’s favorite thing about the paddling lifestyle is being around the ocean all of the time and traveling to great places to race. The community and family of fellow paddlers, the overall culture and the passion for the sport are just a few of the reasons why he loves paddling. You will usually see Dave out on a launch coaching paddling and rowing to athletes of all ages and levels, gardening and making hot sauce. Shop his favorite hot sauce picks here!

Maika Scott

Accredited Coach

Southern California
Instagram: @maikascott
Available for group clinics only.
Contact Us Here

Coming from a long line of paddlers in his family, Maika grew up paddling in Hawaii Kai, racing with the Hui Nalu 12&U grom squad. He went on to paddle prone and race in sailing canoes. He has competed in races like the Molokai Solo, Molokai Relay and most recently the Te Aito. His favorite event so far is racing Hawaiki Nui Va’a with his current team, Newport Aquatic Center (NAC). When Maika is not on the water, you will most likely find him in his shop repairing all kinds of watercraft…from canoes to motor boats to racing sailboats. He has been a huge contributor in the Puakea hybrid paddle manufacturing. The things he loves most about the paddling lifestyle are the traveling and the culture.

danny ching

Accredited Coach

Southern California
Instagram: @dannyching404
Check out Danny’s camps/lessons on our online store!

Danny Ching has solidified himself as the greatest paddle sports athlete in Southern California, and is recognized worldwide as a skilled waterman. Danny was practically born with a canoe paddle in his hand. He is the elder son of Al Ching, founder and head coach of the Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club. He officially entered his first race at the age of 10.  By 15 he was racing with Lanakila Outrigger’s elite men's team, leading their six and nine-man teams to top finishes locally and in Hawaii. At 18 he entered his first distance OC-1 race. In less than a year he had climbed to the top of local the competition. Since 2002 he has dominated one-man outrigger canoe racing in southern California, highlighted by multiple victories in State and National and World Championship competitions. In 2023, Danny won the PA’A Kaiwi Channel World Championship on his 40th birthday.

Danny’s prolific paddling accomplishments have followed him to his Coaching career. Danny started coaching his local junior outrigger team at the age of 16. In 2005, at the age of 22, Danny became the youngest outrigger head coach in history. In his 13 years as head coach, Danny has turned Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club from a local team to world class contender and the largest canoe club in the world.  His outrigger coaching accomplishments include Winning Multiple California and USA National Championships and even a World Championship coaching Team Bradley in the Molokai World Championships. In his free time, Danny also coaches and teaches the junior lifeguard program for Los Angeles County. He is currently heading up their new Waterman development program designed for kids ages 14-17 and has taken his coaching talents into the SUP world. He has been traveling the world, giving clinics and lessons in SUP since 2009. His client base includes everyone from beginners, to club and corporations, to elite professional racers, and more recently, professional athletes and celebrities.

suzy strazzulla

Accredited Coach - Strength

Southern California
Instagram: @suzstrazz
Rate: 2 hour 1:1 session at $150 includes paddle specific strength training in gym with correlating movement application on water.
Group rates available.
Call or Text: (714) 614-7983

As a former WUSA professional soccer player and Division I soccer coach with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, sports has been an integral part of Suzy’s life. Suzy has a thriving sport specific personal training and strength conditioning business with a private gym space. Still a very competitive athlete, now with a paddle in hand, her interests include standup paddle surfing, elite SUP racing, outrigger canoe and dragon boat racing. Suzy has participated in two Battle of the Paddle competitions and two Pacific Paddle Games. In competitive outrigger racing, she has competed in IVF World Championships in the V6 women’s open and V1 races. As a member of Dana OCC, her team took their title back winning the USA Outrigger Championship, the Catalina Crossing, in 2021. As part of Team USA for the International Dragon Boat Federation World Championship in Thailand, Suzy won Gold and 2 Silver medals in the mixed premier standard crew and a Bronze in the women’s premier 2K. During the USDBF Club Crew National Championship, she took gold in the 200m, 500m, 1000m. Now Suzy is a certified USDBF coach and is an assistant coach for Senior A & B Team USA. She is also ACA certified. All this experience has given Suzy a fundamental understanding of the commitment and dedication needed to compete at the highest level and she looks forward to helping others on and off the water.