Steve Backshall returns to The Travel Diaries five years after his first appearance — with another collection of completely extraordinary stories.
Steve has now travelled to 116 countries, but one of the biggest changes since we last spoke is closer to home: fatherhood. He talks about moving his family to Land’s End to give his children a more old-fashioned, outdoorsy childhood, and why he’s now preparing to take them deep into the rainforest of Suriname on their first proper expedition.
Then the adventures really begin.
Steve takes us to Alaska, where 16 humpback whales erupted around his kayak during a bubble-net feed; into the water with 60-ton sperm whales that appeared to dance alongside him; and underground into cave systems where, a mile beneath the surface, he felt panic begin to take hold and realised he had to regain control immediately.
We also hear about discovering species new to science, giant rats in Papua New Guinea, freediving and shallow-water blackouts, how his feelings about Bimini have changed, why the Isles of Scilly are now his favourite place in the world, and the two elusive animals still sitting at the top of his travel bucket list.
Steve’s Deadly Live tour begins this October.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Steve Backshall Returns: 116 Countries & Fatherhood
03:14 Why He Moved His Family to Land’s End
07:29 Taking His Children Into the Suriname Jungle
10:45 Alaska: 16 Humpback Whales Erupt Around His Kayak
16:27 Dancing with 60-Ton Sperm Whales
18:16 Discovering New Species & the Giant Woolly Rat
23:14 Cave Diving: The Hardest Place He’s Ever Fought to Reach
26:09 The Most Remote Place Steve Has Ever Been
28:02 A Mile Underground: “If I Panic Now, I’m Going to Die”
31:36 Freediving, Shallow-Water Blackouts & Staying Calm
35:05 Why Bimini Has Changed
38:22 His Favourite Destination Today: The Isles of Scilly
42:43 Steve Backshall’s Deadly Live Tour
46:34 The Place Steve Thinks Everyone Should Visit Once
52:48 Snow Leopards, Narwhals & His New Travel Bucket List
Destination Recap
📍 West Cornwall & Land’s End, England
📍 South Africa
📍 Suriname
📍 Alaska & Juneau, USA
📍 The Azores, Portugal
📍 Dominica
📍 Colombia
📍 Papua New Guinea
📍 New Britain & New Ireland
📍 New Caledonia
📍 Yucatán, Cancún & Tulum, Mexico
📍 Bimini, The Bahamas
📍 Isles of Scilly & St Martin’s, England
📍 Jerusalem
📍 Tel Aviv & the Negev Desert
📍 Kyrgyzstan
📍 Northeast Greenland
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