So far there have been two Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships. The first was held at Vila Do Conde in Portugal in 2013.

The most recent world championships were held in Tahiti in 2015, and featured single surfski events in men’s and women’s senior and U23, and men’s juniors. The senior men’s race was dominated by Australia and South Africa, who occupied 10 of the top 11 places, with only France’s Yannick Laousse in seventh the exception. In contrast, the top four of the senior women’s race was filled by paddlers from New Zealand and United States of America.

Canoe ocean racing often features athletes from canoe sprint and canoe marathon. The 2015 women’s world champion Teneale Hatton is also a double world champion in canoe sprint.