What is "alaia"

An alaia (pronounced: uh-lie-yuh) is a thin, round-nosed, square-tailed surfboard ridden in pre-20th century Hawaii. The boards were between long, weighed up to , and were generally made from the wood of Acacia koa. They are distinct from modern surfboards in that they have no ventral fins, and instead rely on the sharpness of the edges to hold the board in the face of the wave.

Modern alaias are 5’ to 12’ long and are the larger version of the Paipo board, used for knee or belly surfing, and the smaller version of the Olo board, generally between 18’ and 24’ long. All of these board types are similar in that all are made of wood and are ridden without a fin/skeg.