If you’ve ever seen any movies like “Castaway” starring Tom Hanks, then you already know some of the problems that a person might have to face after finding themselves stranded on a deserted island. However, the concept isn’t new, in the olden days, pirates used to sometimes leave their victims or mutinous crew members stranded on remote islands as a form of torture / punishment. Although these sorts of worries are not really on the minds of modern man, the question is still worth asking “what would you do if you found yourself stranded on a deserted island?” Hopefully, after reading this piece, you’ll have an answer for that inquiry.
First off, there’s one thing that all human beings need to survive, water. Start off by trying to locate a source of fresh water. Perhaps the best thing to do is to move inland to look for a small spring or cave. As you know, without water, it’s not possible to survive for even a couple of weeks, it’s incredibly vital.
Once you have located a source of water, start contemplating some type of shelter. If you found your water in a cave, then there you go, you’ve found your shelter. However, if this isn’t the case, you’ll have to exercise some ingenuity and improvise some lodgings. Locate some large leaves, bamboo shunts / sticks and start figuring out how to make a shelter. Note*- try to place your shelter in a location that’s not prone to the tides, winds, storms, or any other type of serious impediment. Do not lose your concentration or start to panic, at this point you are going to need to think clearly about every singe move you make and if you do so, you actually have a chance of making it through this ordeal alive.
If you’re with one or more people, it’s now time to sit everyone down (perhaps around a campfire) and talk about take an inventory of resources and brainstorm for ideas. You’d be surprised by how much better we are at problem solving when working together in groups (you know what they say “two heads are better than one”). Once you have a game plan lined out which everyone agrees on it’s time to act accordingly. At this point it’s probably a good idea to have everyone pitch in and arrange rocks on the beach to form an S.O.S. message. Note*- if you have a flare gun, wait until you actually see a ship or a plane before attempting to use / alert anyone.
About water purification / desalination
Whether or not you find fresh water or have to try to do something with salt water the object is the same, purification. If it is fresh water we’re talking about then all you really have to do is boil it to ensure that everyone drinking it won’t become ill as a result. However, if the only option is to try to desalinate salt water, don’t panic, it’s completely possible with just a little ingenuity. What you want to build is a distiller. In other words, you want to create a device that contains the salt water and is able to heat up and catch the water vapor in another container (this can be done by means of either solar or fire-based energy). For example, if you can create fire, then simply create a cone-shaped object to fit on your saltwater bowl which feeds into a structure which is able to catch the water vapor and collect it in another container when placed over a fire.
Food
Yes, you can eat berries and roots, even some mushrooms, but as you well know these foodstuffs are not always safe. If possible, watch what any other animal life eats and experiment with that (or simply catch and eat the animals, being careful not to deplete this vital resource). Since you are on an island, take the time to fashion yourself a fishing pole and search for crabs (just be careful not to get stung by such creatures as jellyfish). Perhaps the best and most stable form of sustenance is going to be bugs, they are high in protein, plentiful, easy to catch and also make good bait for fishing.
