Price: $1700 + gst
Dates: June 26-30th, 2023
Lead Guide: Norm Hann
Location: Telegraph Cove, B.C.
Our trip starts in the historic fishing village of Telegraph Cove on the northern end of Vancouver Island. You must arrive here the day before your trip start date. You can contact Telegraph Cove Resort 1 800 200 4665 to reserve a room, cabin or campsite at their location and we recommend staying the night after we arrive in from our trip. We will be meeting Captain James for our boat shuttle into the Broughton at the Telegraph Cove RV & Marine Park. After checking out of your room or campsite on the morning of departure you will park at the Telegraph Cove RV & Marine Park where you can pay for your parking for the week. If you are travelling from the mainland please visit the BC Ferries to plan your trip from the mainland to Vancouver Island. See the map below for our meeting and parking area on the morning of departure.
Pre Requisites:
- Ocean touring experience and a solid technical skill set is required on this trip.
- This is a self sufficient trip and you will be carrying all of your own camping gear and cooking all of your own food. We are touring and camping in a remote ocean environment where we can expect all kinds of weather, winds, tidal currents with longer paddling days.
- If you are unsure whether you have the experience or skills necessary please contact us. We have touring and overnight skills courses available on our training page to get you ready for a trip like this.
What’s Included:
- 4 nights 5 days of guided sup touring in the Broughton Archipelago.
- Commercial Boat shuttle. Pick up at Telegraph Cove and drop off in the heart of the Broughton Archipelago and then pick up on final day and drop off at Telegraph Cove.
What’s Not Included
- Meals
- Travel to and from Telegraph Cove, B.C.
- SUP Expedition boards and paddling specific equipment. ($200 rentals available at time of booking)
- Accommodations in Telegraph Cove the night before or after the trip.
Payment
A $500 deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your place on the expedition with the balance to be paid 60 days prior to trip departure. Full payments can be made via email transfer to explore@normhann.com.
Cancellations
Read about our cancellation policy here. Please email explore@normhann.com if you need to cancel at any time.
A Paddling & Cultural Journey through the Southern Great Bear Rainforest Archipelago.
Norm Hann Expeditions is excited to offer this new adventure for experienced ocean paddlers in the wild and spectacular Broughton Archipelago. This is a self supported trip and you will be packing and carrying your own gear and food on your touring board for a five day guided interpretive trip into the heart of this paddling paradise.
From wind swept and swell exposed outer islands on the edge of Queen Charlotte Strait to the calm, relaxed and sheltered inner waters, the Broughton’s offer an amazing exploration based on weather, tides, currents and wildlife. With the majestic snowcapped Coast Mountains to the east, these are the traditional lands of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations, specifically the lands and waters of Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis and Mamalilikulla First Nations, who have thrived here for thousands of years. They developed clam terraces and villages throughout the islands with ample evidence of their extensive use highlighted by white midden beaches, culturally modified trees, pictographs and petroglyphs.
This place is a mecca for marine wildlife as resident Killer Whales begin showing up towards the end of June and feeding Humpbacks make their way into the area in April and May. Harbour Seals, Sea Lions, River Otters, Bald Eagles and wandering Black and Grizzly Bears are all part of this incredible rainforest ecosystem.
Spectacular sunrises, sublime sunsets and days spent looking for wildlife and paddling new coastal areas all await you. This is your opportunity to take a deep breath and inhale the beautiful connection to land and water as you share our passion for wild places, wild life and ancient First Nations territories.
Weather
While the summer months in British Columbia are mostly warm and sunny, we still have a few cold and wet days. Heavy rain and fog can occur at any time in the temperate rainforest. For maximum enjoyment on your trip in all types of weather please bring the items listed below.
It is important that your clothing be made of synthetic materials or wool to retain their warmth when wet. Most synthetics also have the advantage of being quick drying. Avoid cotton clothing because they lack warmth if wet and take a very long time to dry. Please reach out if you have questions about our packing list.
Paddling Equipment
- Inflatable or Hard Touring Board appropriate for ocean touring. A minimum of 12′ – 12’6″ long with front and rear attachments.
- Paddle or adjustable paddle
- PFD (jacket style, no waist belts)
- Coil or quick release touring leash.
- My personal system includes a 35L Mustang Survival Bluewater bag for tent, sleeping bag, thermarest and pillow. A 35L Mustang Survival Greewater for daily gear, emergency gear, Jet Boil stove/fuel/mug/spoon/bowl, Mustang Survival 22L Highwater for camp clothes and miscellaneous, a Mustang Survival 10L bag for food, a 5l mustang bag for small essentials and communication.
What to Wear for Paddling (suggested)
- 5 mm Booties with sole or water shoe with waterproof or neoprene socks works well. If it is warm I will paddle in bare feet and have a pair of Natives or Sandals to wear getting from the board to the campsite.
- Clothing Option 1: For upper and lower body clothing system I personally wear Vaikobi V Cold Storm Pant and V Cold L/S Base with a pair of board shorts or waterproof short worn over the storm pant
- Clothing Option 2: Drysuit, I suggest the Mustang Survival Hudson Drysuit. It will keep you warm and dry but may be too warm if it’s hot.
- Clothing Option 3: Farmer Jayne or John with waterproof paddling jacket overtop.
- Fleece or synthetic hooded mid layer jacket
- Waterproof jacket and pants
- Mid Layer with extra down jacket
- Baseball Cap and Toque
- Paddling gloves for cool days or if hands are sensitive
- Buff
Other Clothing
- Pair of synthetic shorts
- Bathing suit
- Pair of pants
- 2 long sleeve shirts
- 2 short sleeve shirts
- 1 sweater or sweatshirt
- 2 pair of wool/synthetic socks
- 2 sets of long underwear
- 2-3 pair of underwear
Personal items
- Toiletries
- Sun screen
- Sunglasses with a retainer
- Prescription eyeglasses or contacts
- Spare eyeglasses or contacts
- Wet Wipes
- Synthetic camp towel
- Medication
- Spare medication
- Insect repellent
- Book
- Headlamp and batteries
- Camera (optional)
- Extra digital storage and batteries
- 1 litre water bottle
- thermos
Camping Gear
- 1-2 person lightweight tent
- Compressible 3 season sleeping bag
- Sleeping pad or Thermarest
- Small packable pillow
- Small camping stove/Jetboil/MSR Whisper Lite.
- 5ooml Butane or 1 litre white gas
- Cooking pot (if you are not using a Jetboil)
- knife, fork, spoon
- mug
- 2 10 L Dromedary Bags for water each. MSR Dromedary Bags work great.
- Pristine or Aquatabs water treatment
Food
You will be bringing and packing your own food. Make sure your meals are filling and nutritious to support you on your paddling days. You will need lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 5. Freeze dried food bags are light, delicious and work well for sup camping. Bring snacks and easily accessible bars in case paddling days are longer.
What to Wear & How to Pack
Exact standup paddleboarding routes may vary depending on possible wildlife sightings, currents, tides and weather.
Arrival Day: You will meet in Telegraph Cove, a historic logging and fishing community, the day before our trip departs. A visit to the Whale Interpretive Centre and walk around one of the last boardwalk communities on Vancouver Island is a must. You can have dinner on your own at the Killer Whale Cafe or the Old Saltery Pub in Telegraph Cove. Accommodation options at the resort range from tent camping to cozy cabins and rooms at Telegraph Cove Resort.
Day 1: We will be departing from Telegraph Cove Marina & RV resort and you will relocat your vehicle here for the week. You will be on your own for breakfast before meeting Captain James Wilson at Telegraph Cove Marina & RV to load our water taxi. James will shuttle us into the heart of the Broughton Archipelago and to our first campsite. We will spend the day paddling the local area, getting comfortable with our boards and equipment and settling in to the beauty of the Broughton Archipelago.
Days 2 to 4: Based on weather, tides, currents and wildlife we will spend the next three full days exploring the archipelago. We will set a plan for the following days trip and may spend a couple of nights at the same campsite or we could also move from campsite to campsite as we paddle back towards the south end of the archipelago. Along the way, we’ll keep our eyes peeled for wildlife as sightings or reports may dictate our itinerary for the day. We will look for Orcas, Humpbacks, Bald Eagles, Deer, Black Bears, Harbour Seals, Dall’s Porpoises and White Sided Dolphins, Stellar Sea Lions and the fantastic intertidal life.
Each trip will in the Broughton Archipelago will be different.
Day 5: This is our final day – a chance to enjoy the beauty of the area for one last time, linger over coffee, snap a few more photographs, before heading out on a powerful cultural paddle. We wrap up our trip mid day when Captain James will pick us back up and shuttle us across Johnston Straight and back to Telegraph Cove. It is recommended to spend another evening in Telegraph Cove or on the north island to help with your transition back from our trip.
Tour Reviews
The Broughton Archipelago!!….What a spectacular area to explore with Norm who brings his exceptional guiding and leadership skills to a unique SUP trip experience. This area is so rich with wildlife and First Nations history, every day was a new adventure as we used the tides and currents to make our way through this beautiful landscape.
Norm provided an exceptionally detailed packing list and videos that helped us better organize our gear for a self sufficient paddling trip. By having the proper gear and packing efficiently the group found moving camp everyday was a breeze and it allowed us the freedom to explore so much more territory. If you are not sure if you have the touring experience needed to join this trip NHX offers Paddle Canada Ocean Touring courses in the spring to prepare you for this kind of adventure.
It was so fantastic for our group to be joined by Norm’s SUP expedition partner Bruce Kirkby. To read more about their SUP adventures together check out Norm’s blog. Bruce generously shared with us some of his own travel adventures and was such a great support to us as we travelled and camped through this incredible area. I highly recommend reading the three travel adventure books he has written and for more information about this amazing guy check out Brucekirkby.com
Thank you Norm and Bruce for your enthusiastic spirit and sharing your love of adventure with us, and thank you also to the dynamite group of Women that I shared this incredible SUP journey with.
My very first camping SUP Adventure where I had to bring all my gear and food so I was very nervous about it all but thanks to the support of Norm and his packing video I was able to get my gear together! I had never been so excited about a trip before in my life and it was the best trip I have ever had so far! Standing on a SUP board paddling through the Broughton Archipelagos with all my gear and food was something I had never anticipated for myself. I have never seen so much beautiful nature and wildlife ever and am so grateful for the experience and personal growth. I don’t think I will ever be paddling amongst a Super Pod of Pacific White Sided Dolphins again (I hope so though!), see as many eagles soaring above me while watching a bait ball feeding or feel the energy I felt by the First Nations history. Everytime I looked at Norm he was smiling like a little kid and that was priceless. Thank you Norm and Tina for such amazing support to provide this experience and look forward to many more! I agree with Heather Martin….the guiding and leadership skills are EXCEPTIONAL!!! provided by Norm and Tina.
This Broughton Archipelago trip exceeded my expectations! What I thought would be a beautiful destination with a fun group of like-minded paddlers was so much more. This soulful place is just teeming with wildlife, from the humpbacks travelling down the liquid highway to the soaring eagles who frequent the old Indigenous village sites.
I really love Norm’s expedition style, whereby he gives us as much info as we need, but allows us to learn and discover independently, gently guiding us with paddling tips or sage knowledge about the winds, weather, and waves in his humble way. This is an extremely complex area, with aggressive tidal currents (including some whirlpools in places), and I’m so grateful to have had Norm’s expertise to ensure this trip was safe and fun.
The format of this trip allows for every paddler to be self-supported, which was extremely valuable as now I feel that I have the confidence and knowledge to try more overnight SUP touring on my own.
Thank you Norm for another incredible expedition!
The Broughton Archipelago is the 4th expedition I’ve done with Norm Hann Expeditions and it won’t be the last. I hesitate to write this review for fear that I’ll be scrambling amongst even heavier competition to book future trips once word really spreads about just how exceptional his expeditions are.
There is no other SUP guide like him in Canada offering the completely unique and spectacular expeditions that he does. Both here in Canada and in Belize.
If you are experienced in SUP, and want to connect with the mystery and majesty of nature and our ancestry, and are open to journeying inward alongside the outward wonder you’ll encounter, Norm’s expeditions are for you.
We paddled 68 km over the 5 days there through places well… you need to book to arrive at your own judgement. But it’s the wilds of BC, so use your imagination 🙂
I’m extremely grateful to have crossed paths early in my SUP journey with Norm. He’s a phenomenal teacher and person. I guarantee that if you want to grow your SUP skills, experiences, and connection, you’ll be happy if you cross his path too.
The Broughton Archipelago is such an incredible, magical place, and this trip was the perfect way to experience it. Packing all of your gear and food for a week really gives you the chance to absorb the peaceful surroundings, adjust to the pace of the ocean, and take it all in – the stunning wildlife, the sound of the whales, the powerful history of those waters. As we paddled through the myriad of islands, we could see eagles soaring above us, porpoises splashing behind and humpback whales breaching ahead, I didn’t even know where to look!
This trip is also an excellent opportunity to learn some touring skills, like observing tides and currents, reading navigation charts, packing your board, and really figuring out what systems work for you, should you want to go adventuring on your own. I definitely feel more confident now and I can’t wait to go exploring more of the coast with my board.
Norm’s love and respect of nature and people, combined with his passion for paddling and teaching makes his expeditions a very special experience that you’ll want to have again and again.
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