UNBELIEVABLE Start To Our North Vancouver Island Adventure

[@backroadjournals]

CLARIFICATION: After reading the comments and looking closer at the footage (published and unpublished), it turns out that the whales caught on film are indeed not Orcas, even though we were convinced at the time that they were. So far we know that there are actually two types of whales in the footage. One of the whales are Humpbacks and the other appear to be Pilot Whales. Here is a great explanation as to how to identify Humpbacks from @tyee4u: "As a professional offshore fishing guide for 35 years I can say without any doubt that all of the whales shown in this video are Humpback whales. Orca are much smaller and have distinct white markings un the underside of their tail fluke as well as the belly and behind a dorsal fin that is much larger than that of a humpback. The instant they blow you are able to tell it’s a humpback and not an orca just by the sheer volume of mist when they exhale. This is because their lungs are several times larger than an orcas lungs. The other giveaway is the slow breach of the surface followed by the massive tail fluke wave as they submerge. Also notice that most of them had completely black underside of the tail whereas an Orca has a bright white underside and is substantially smaller." Nonetheless, we hope that you enjoyed the video. Excitement got the better of us in the moment 🙂 All the best, Michelle and Holger

[@DCOutdoors]

What a start to the trip! Thanks for sharing your amazing adventure.

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You, Dan! We just got back 2 weeks ago, but already want to go back 🙂. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@serenitynow8265]

👍👍 ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED!! THANK YOU!! Cheers 🍻

[@backroadjournals]

All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@flynorthproductions]

Awesome to see the whales, so cool. Loved the drone footage as usual. That was a very picturesque campsite, one of the best. Awesome video. 👍

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You! That was quite the experience and we absolutely loved the site, whales or no whales🙂. We will certainly be back there. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@sdkonkle]

Thanks so much for your great videos. We are definitely going to visit this spot in the near future. 🖖🤩

[@backroadjournals]

Glad you enjoyed the videos 🙂! All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@Crittermoto]

The north island is so amazing, so many hidden gems to be found and seen. Love it up there! I host my annual men’s mental health fundraiser, the Get Lost…Find Yourself Adventure and Motorcycle campout up North Island every September and the attendees are blown away with the area up there. The whales you zoomed in on were humpbacks. Delicious looking bagel sandwich. Steaks over the fire…..the best!

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You! It was an amazing experience up there. Mentioning Mental Health: It' been in my head for a while now to make a video about how much being out in nature has had such a positive impact on my mental health. Not just that, but at the same time engaging (trying to) with our with all of our viewers, has helped me personally a lot. As to the whales: we are stumped now. We were certain that we saw the whales hunt and also saw white markings. Then again, looking at the tailfin...it might just be humpbacks. Thank You as always for your support, All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@Crittermoto]

@@backroadjournals yup, definitely Humpies, at least the ones you zoomed in on. That’s not to say that there wasn’t Orcas hunting there as well. Tell tale sign is the absence of a large shark like dorsal fin. Wild orcas can get these fins as large as 8’ tall. And yes…..the outdoors, backcountry, nature….so so good for one’s mental health!! Keep up the great videos 👍🏻

[@juliamadison5701]

@@backroadjournals I think I definately saw both Humpbacks and Orca

[@findinglifesmoments]

Wow!! What an awesome first day!!! Beautiful spot & whales!!! Amazing!! We love steaks done over the fire!!! One of our favorites to do while camping but have never thought to make compound butter out there....very impressive!! LOVE the candle lantern!!! So cool and great vibes Can't wait to see what's coming up!! Walt & Joanne

[@backroadjournals]

Thanks guys🙂! We certainly got lucky with this one. We have had the lantern for a while, but never used it before. It's a nice change from constant LED lights at camp. Thank You as always for your support 👍. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@TrailStrider909]

20:08 Very nice...

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You! All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@TrailStrider909]

@@backroadjournals Cheers!

[@kris2222ify]

Amazing! Those are pilot whales.

[@glennsmith1040]

Fantastic trip. Great location, incredible the whales. . . So close you can hear them breath. Thanks for sharing.

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You! Glad you enjoyed the video 👍. That was truly a special experience. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@KhurshidsChannel]

Stunning visuals! The landscapes are so beautifully shot. Thanks for sharing. 👍72

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You very much! Glad you enjoyed the video👍. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@christine7591]

Wow! What a great start to your holiday! Those weren’t orcas, but does it really matter?! 😂 We love the wildlife on VI! We really missed it this year. We had to make to with seals in Denmark 😂.

[@backroadjournals]

Mange Tak! It sure was a great start 🙂. After reading the comments and zooming in on the footage a bit closer, we agree that the whales in the video are not Orcas. We were however convinced that they were at the moment, especially after we heard the seals scream. It turns out that we caught Humpbacks and Pilot Whales on camera, which is still pretty cool 🙂. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@juliamadison5701]

What a fantastic place

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You, it sure is🙂! As we mentioned in the video, we usually do not stay 3 nights in one spot, but we just did not want to leave. Thank You for watching and all the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@BrentsVanLife]

Awesome spot, great vid. Looks like your north island trip was epic

[@backroadjournals]

It certainly started out pretty good 🙂. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@DempsterDave]

Thanks for sharing your adventure.

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You! Glad You enjoyed the Video🙂👍! All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@steelparkeroutdoors]

Wow, what a spot! The whales were so amazing to see! Glad you took in the surroundings a little longer! Fantastic start to your holiday, and we’re looking forward to more. Cheers! Erin and Greg

[@backroadjournals]

Thanks guys! Yes, this spot was absolutely amazing, really could have stayed longer. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@AdventureOverland2023]

It’s going to be hard to top a day like that. Super lucky to have the opportunity to see whales, definitely on our bucket list. Beautiful video! P.S. There’s nothing wrong with reheated pizza, 😂.

[@backroadjournals]

Thanks guys! Come on adventure with us and you don't have to pay for whale tours 😂. No guarantees, though 😉 Pizza somehow always seems to come to the rescue 🙂 All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@hikingoutdoorfamily]

This spot looked beautiful and an awesome place to camp. It was so amazing to see those whales. It must have been an incredible experience.

[@backroadjournals]

This place was amazing, we really did not want to leave. The whales were with us on day 3 as well and put on an incredible show for us. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@agesadventures]

Pretty cool to see the whales out there🐳🐳 Nice candle lantern you have there🕯🕯🕯 It looks like a really beautiful place there😍 Glad to see you enjoying your time out there😁

[@backroadjournals]

Thanks, Age! That was an amazing place and the whales certainly were a bonus 🙂. We had the candle lantern for a while, just to get some nicer light. Having LED's is nice, just a bit to bright every now and then. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@grndiesel]

I stopped by that place briefly while on my way to Fair Harbour. A camper there told me that whales come through daily. Though I didn't stay long enough to confirm, I have no reason to doubt it.

[@backroadjournals]

It's a stunning place. We had the whales there all three days that we stayed in this spot. They also disappeared for a few hours every day, but than came back. Incredible! All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@KenEh.]

Grey wales. 😉 Humpbacks are quite a bit larger…. Other than Orca they’re the most prevalent in that area.

[@backroadjournals]

Another whale enters the mix🙂. After reading the comments and looking closer at the footage, it turns out that the whales caught on film are indeed not Orcas, even though we were convinced at the time that they were. So far we know that there are actually two types of whales in the footage. Just wish we had a better lens on the camera🙂. Thank You for watching and we hope you enjoyed the video👍. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@CoastGord]

Ain't this island grand! Enjoy your travels!

[@backroadjournals]

You can spend a lifetime exploring it and never run out of incredible places to see🙂. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@CoastGord]

@@backroadjournals that's the plan! Thanks for journaling

[@islandjason]

Beautiful area, spent quite a bit of time in that area, but pretty sure those werent Orca's

[@islandjason]

The area is at the top of the mountains at 1:49:00

[@islandkat9193]

You found a gem of a campspot..The whales just added to the magic.. Love our island & Love these remote spots. You two are definitely rocking the camp magic😁👍

[@backroadjournals]

It's stunning out there! We were absolutely convinced that we did see Orcas at the moment. However, after reading all the comments and looking closer at the footage and zooming in a bit more, it does not appear that the ones caught on camera are indeed not Orcas. Thank you as always for your support! All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You🙂! The Island just never seizes to amaze! All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@godsbackcountryoverland]

Amazing trip guys, beautiful location to camp and those whales off the hook. I am so ready to hit the road, I've just got to find the time to many family event this year two weddings and my daughters baby shower she's having her first child and as much as I want to hit the road family always comes first. 👍 God Bless

[@backroadjournals]

Congratulations! That is amazing news👍! Family always comes first. The whales really put on a show on day 3 when we were not filming, breaching about 100ft in front of us, over and over again. All the best to you and your family, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@tyee4u]

100% humpback whales. Lucky for you guys. What a spot 👍

[@backroadjournals]

You got us thinking now! We were convinced it was Orcas at the time. Wish we had a better lens, so we that we could zoom in a bit more. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@tyee4u]

@@backroadjournals As a professional offshore fishing guide for 35 years I can say without any doubt that all of the whales shown in this video are Humpback whales. Orca are much smaller and have distinct white markings un the underside of their tail fluke as well as the belly and behind a dorsal fin that is much larger than that of a humpback. The instant they blow you are able to tell it’s a humpback and not an orca just by the sheer volume of mist when they exhale. This is because their lungs are several times larger than an orcas lungs. The other giveaway is the slow breach of the surface followed by the massive tail fluke wave as they submerge. Also notice that most of them had completely black underside of the tail whereas an Orca has a bright white underside and is substantially smaller. An epic sight nonetheless and excellent job capturing on video. Can’t wait to see the rest of your trip unfold. Going to be tough to top day one.

[@backroadjournals]

Thank You very much for your detailed explanation👍. We were absolutely convinced that we did see Orcas. Do you mind if we use your comment as part of a clarification to pin to the top of the comments? Obviously we would credit you for the info in the comment. We would really appreciate it.

[@tyee4u]

@@backroadjournals no worries 👍

[@kris2222ify]

Those are actually pilot whales, but close.

[@HalcyonGuitars]

Never have I thirsted more to know where a camping spot is, lol, thanks for leaving it for me to find once I’m mobile again. Orcas have really long pronounced dorsal fins, I believe what you saw was a mixed bag of humpback and pilot whales which imo is equally mahfuckingjestic..

[@backroadjournals]

Hope You are mobile again soon to get out there and explore! We were convinced that we did see Orcas, at least at some point. However, reading through the comments and taking a closer look at the footage, it's indeed not Orcas that we caught on camera. It's Humpbacks and there certainly could be Pilot Whales in there as well for sure. All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@ralphgerhard5656]

But beautiful video

[@backroadschooliedriver9136]

Someone needs to take a rake and clean up around the splitting log , who takes a rake camping ?

[@sdkonkle]

I do 🖖🤠

[@ralphgerhard5656]

Definitely not orcas most likely pilot whales Coulors are wrong orcas are white and black pilot whales are all black with shorter fins

[@backroadjournals]

We were certainly convinced that it was Orcas at the time of filming. Humpback whales seems to be a popular choice according to the comments. We will definitely have to have a closer look at the footage again and compare. We did see white markings, but the footage just does not show it. You got us thinking with the short fins, though. Thank You for watching and all the best, All the best, Michelle and Holger 🙏

[@kenknopp5327]

Usually Humpback whales bubble feed in a group and that is most likely what they were doing, see your email for an example. I was a fish boat captain for many years and saw a lot of very amazing things on our coast.