Meet the Team Behind the Expedition
Adventure guided by purpose, passion, and wild coastlines.
Our Mission Is to Inspire Connection Through Adventure and Ocean Expeditions
Exploring Wild Coastlines.
At Norm Hann Expeditions, we create world-class, multi-day standup paddleboarding adventures, immersive wildlife journeys in the Great Bear Rainforest, and international paddle surf experiences that inspire connection, discovery, and growth. Guided by our commitment to wild coastlines, local cultures, and conservation, we lead each expedition with expert guidance, fostering meaningful experiences that challenge, educate, and transform our guests—leaving a lasting impact on both people and the natural world.
Outdoor Guide, Teacher, and protector of Greatbear Rainforest
Norm Hann
After a university basketball and high school teaching career in Sudbury, Ontario Norm made the decision to travel west to enroll in a wilderness guide training program in Vancouver, British Columbia. Upon completion he was hired as an adventure guide in the Great Bear Rainforest on the north coast of B.C. The Great Bear Rainforest is a spectacular and mesmerizing place and his passion for the people and place grew quickly. Sharing the beauty and secrets of the temperate rainforest with guests from around the world was an honor for him. The majestic ancient rain forests, the pristine marine ecosystems and the rich traditional territory of the Gitga’at people were his home for many summers and would inevitably change the course of his life.
An honour which carried great responsibility
Adopted into the Raven Clan
After working for a number of seasons in Gitga'at Territory as a guide, Norm began to spend more of his offseason time in the community of Hartley Bay teaching and coaching basketball and working as high school teacher with the First Nations youth. It was in 2006 that he was given the ultimate coastal honour of being adopted by Eva Hill into the Raven Clan and given the name T’aam Laan meaning “Steersman of the Canoe.” This carried a great responsibility and let me know that I was on the right path.
Exploring the Great Bear by SUP
In 2008, inspired by the legendary Laird Hamilton, Norm stumbled upon the exhilarating sport of stand-up paddleboarding. With nearly a decade of guiding experience in the stunning Great Bear Rainforest, he established Norm Hann Expeditions. The very next year, he organized his first multi-day SUP expedition for Explore Magazine, exploring the depths of Gitga'at Territory. This eye-opening journey ignited the vision for his business. Fueled by a deep passion for linking people to this awe-inspiring environment, Norm set out to design experiences that would not only inspire and challenge participants' viewpoints but also forge a connection with extraordinary landscapes.
Standing Up For the Great Bear Rainforest
Shortly after the initial exploratory paddleboard expedition to the Great Bear and following a decade spent guiding, the looming threat of oil tankers traversing this region became a stark reality with the emergence of the Northern Gateway Project. Norm felt a deep conviction to take action, inspired by the gifts the land and its people had bestowed upon him. In 2010 and with the backing of kayaker Brian Huntington from the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition, Norm resolved to paddle the proposed tanker route. The journey began at the Haisla village of Kitimaat, located at the head of Douglas Channel where the tanker port was slated to be, and extend 400 kilometers south to the Heiltsuk village of Bella Bella. Named Standup4Greatbear, the expedition aimed to spotlight the traditional food harvesting areas of the coastal First Nations and the unspoiled marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the Great Bear. Norm wanted to raise awareness about what was at stake. This experience carved out my future, and that same year, we launched our first commercial sup expedition, providing adventurous guests with the chance to connect with the land and its people firsthand. In my pursuit to amplify the message regarding the threats to our coast, I collaborated with filmmakers Anthony Bonello and Nicolas Teichrob to produce our award-winning conservation sup and surf film, STAND, which has also been featured on Netflix.
Expedition Team
Over the past several years, Norm Hann Expeditions has focused on creating unique, multi-day paddleboarding experiences in remote locations across Western Canada, guiding wildlife viewing trips through the land of the Spirit Bear and Gitga’at territory, and leading international paddle surf adventures. Norm Hann Expeditions is excited to have incredible guides, instructors and people leading some of the multi-day expeditions. They love to share the joy of standup Paddleboarding and to help others grow - whether developing skills, confidence, or a deeper connection to the environment. The expeditions we offer are designed to showcase powerful, inspiring locations. Each destination provides a unique and empowering experience, share within out intimate groups, fostering connection, personal growth, and lasting memories.
We also embrace our responsibility to protect the remarkable places that give us so much. Our trips provide the opportunity to experience these environments firsthand, build personal connections with the natural world, and contribute to their preservation for future generations. Norm Hann Expeditions is proud to be part of 1% for the Planet where we give back to the awareness, protection and preservation of our coastlines and the Great Bear Rainforest.
