Explore your Coastline. Those words are central to every experience we offer through Norm Hann Expeditions. But Is there really anything left to explore in an age where everywhere, and everything about everywhere, is virtually at our fingertips? When everything has been mapped, charted, photographed, measured, peopled and documented already, what does it really mean
When Norm called me back in the spring of 2022 to see if I would help guide a trip in the Broughton Archipelago that summer, I didn’t take too long to ponder the decision. It’s not that I hadn’t been there before. As a sea kayak guide, I’d shepherded clients up and down, back and
A solid set of Advanced SUP Flatwater Skills is virtually certain to enhance your enjoyment and satisfaction with being out on the water on your board. And those skills are not hard to learn. More skills = more fun = more stoke. So what’s been holding you back? There is a certain misunderstanding, or even
At the end of each year I enjoy sending out our book recommendations and as the holidays approach it is really nice to take some time for yourself and to curl up in front of the fire place with a good book. I have reached out to some of our guides, friends and family of
For a long time now, I have had this love of water and waves. I remember being in grade four and drawing surfers in Hawaii, even though I grew up in a Northern Ontario mining town, 4500 km from the nearest ocean. In high school and university I would search out magazine shops to see
From Your First Paddle Strokes to Exploring the Open Coast. One of the beautiful things about stand up paddling is that most anyone can stand up on a board and ‘make it go’. The gear is light, portable, and relatively inexpensive. It’s easy to get out on the water if even just for a half
As the holidays approach it is really nice to curl up in front of the fire place with a good book. I have reached out to some of our guides, friends and family of Norm Hann Expeditions to share their top book selections of 2022 for your enjoyment. Support your local books stores if you
NHE Guide and Coastal Stoke Leader Tina Currie sits down with the Squamish Chief to share some tips on paddling in the winter. Have a read and let us know if you have any questions about what to wear or what to bring with you.
Big thanks to my paddling partner Bruce Kirkby who has added a number of D rings to his Starboard Touring Inflatables and thought this article would be useful if you are looking to add rear or additional attachment point to your boards. From Bruce: ” I’ve added attachments to 4 boards now, and have learned
Dream Big There is nothing like sitting around a campfire chatting about the next big paddling trip you would like to do. Or maybe it’s pouring over charts and maps of your province, state or country with coffee in hand writing out your bucket list. Whether it’s oceans, rivers or lakes, at the end of
When it comes to knowing how to pack for a SUP trip—no matter how many days you’re heading out for—Norm Hann and Bruce Kirkby are the go-to pros to learn how to prep and pack for any standup paddling trip. They met in 2012 and have been heading out for adventures and expeditions together, and with groups, ever
This past July I got an excited call from my paddling partner, Bruce Kirkby, about joining me for the second of our two paddling trips to the Broughton Archipelago. “Hey wouldn’t it be cool if we just paddled back to your new house in Royston.” I knew this meant tackling the infamous Johnstone Strait, and
Sunova Search 14’ x 30” Review Details Board: Sunova Search Dimensions: 14′ x 30″ x 4 11/16″ Volume: 218L Construction: Trevor’s board is built in the Balsa XXX construction and the new boards are built in the beautiful Paulownia TR3 Trevor’s Review This spring I was able to get my hands on the Sunova Search
At the end of August Bruce Kirkby and I had set our sites on paddling around the Brooks Peninsula on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Brooks Peninsula, also known as Mquq?in and part of the Quatsino and Kyuquot/Cheklesaht First Nations Territory is considered a unique geologic feature. As a result, the geology of the
As we work our way into the summer of 2021, Norm Hann Expeditions continues to grow thanks to amazing guests like you. We’ve added more guides and instructors and I thought this would be a great time to introduce our team. My goal at Norm Hann Expeditions has always been to share our passion for
I was excited recently to sit down with Explore Magazine Editor and host of the Live the Adventure Podcast, David Webb and my expedition partner Bruce Kirkby to discuss multi day expedition stand up paddleboard touring. In This Episode You’ll Discover: Why should anyone trystand-up paddleboarding? What are the capabilities of this modern craft? How
I first heard the call of this 8,000-year-old Grease Trail in 1999 while reading The Great Bear Rainforest by Ian and Karen MacAllister in my dingy Vancouver basement apartment. Earlier that year I turned 29, quit my job as a high school teacher in Ontario and drove out west to complete my Adventure Tourism Diploma
I just wanted to post up this really great blog by the Mustang Survival, the company I work with for PFD’s, Drybags, Paddling Clothing and Drysuits and more. This article gives some great information on one of the most common questions I get for those coming into the sport of standup paddleboarding here in Canada,
My First Flight into the Great Bear Rainforest I will never forget the first time I saw the sun shining on Princess Royal Island, the fourth largest island on the B.C coast and deep in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. This island holds some of the last remaining coastal temperate rainforest in the
HAZARD TO MARINERS Ever since I moved to the coast from my home in Northern Ontario twenty years ago and first laid eyes on a chart of the west coast of Vancouver Island, I have looked at the jutting headland and fabled, treacherous waters of Cape Scott and wondered what it would be like
Norm Hann Expeditions and our Howe Sound Tours and Coffee Runs are excited to be featured in Vancouver Suns Top 10 Thrills in the Sea to Sky Corridor. To experience Howe Sound and our standup paddleboarding experiences visit our Paddle Squamish Page on our website.
This past spring my partner Jen and I were looking at a John Kimantis’s Sea to Sky Marine Trail map and a smaller inset map on the foldout showed the route of the larger Salish Sea Marine trail from Vancouver to Victoria. Jen, born and raised on Vancouver Island announced, “We should do that.” I
Norm Hann Expeditions and our standup paddleboarding programs are excited to be featured in Hello BC’s list of 12 Unique Experiences along the Sea to Sky Corridor. If you are interested in one of our tours and exploring Howe Sound sign up for one of our Paddle Squamish paddling programs. See here for the full
I was excited to be a part of a live Facebook discussion with Reta Boychuk of Badfish SUP and Kim Kenyon of Born to Board. We sat down for an hour to chat about multi day paddling trips, gear, physical and mental training and more. Reach out with any other questions you may have on
I was excited and honoured to sit down with Todd Howard, owner of Pacific Rim College in Victoria, B.C. for his inaugural Salish Wolf Podcast. The inspiration for Todd’s podcast is from a wolf named Takaya who gained global fame for living alone for nearly a decade on a tiny archipelago in the Salish Sea.