How To Survive A Desert Island

Perhaps someday you will find yourself in the unfortunate situation of becoming

trapped on a desert island. There are many ways that you might become stranded: a plane that

you are traveling on might crash or a boat that you are on might sink and you will be forced to

hold on to a flotation device or life raft until you are able to find land. There are many

important skills to know in any survival situation. The first and most important is to stay

confident and hope for the best. If you have made up your mind that you are going to survive

then you have taken the most important step in staying alive and figuring out a way to get

yourself home.

When you are lost you need a survival mindset to keep you focused on what you are

trying to do. The goal that you will need to have will be to stay alive until you can get rescued.

The three main goals that you need to keep in mind as you try to survive are to search for food,

water, and shelter. These goals will be difficult to keep if you are not prepared or

knowledgeable about how to make or find them. With the right knowledge of survival

techniques you will be able to quickly assess any situation that you might find yourself in and be

prepared to act accordingly. Knowing what you need to do will allow you to find food and

water, build a shelter, place signs for rescuers, and after all of this if you have not received

rescue then you must have the ability to make a boat that will let you sail off of the island.
 To stay alive you will have to find water. Human beings can only survive for three days

without drinking water. The very first thing that you should do on a desert island is look for

around where you are and see if there is any fresh water in view. Without exhausting yourself

you need to search for natural streams. Valleys where mountains meet each other provide a

natural pathway for rainwater to travel along. On an island all of the streams and rivers travel

towards the ocean. Avoid ponds and slow moving water if at all possible because these are the

places that are most likely to contain bacteria that is harmful to your health. If the island is

small you will be able to tell if there are any streams going into the ocean simply by walking

around the island. Not only will this tell you if there are any streams but it will also help you to

orientate yourself to the island.

If you are not able to locate a freshwater stream, there are many other methods that

will allow you to collect the water that you need to survive. If you are able to locate mud but

not water, you can take the mud and place it into cloth, then squeeze it to force the water out

through the fabric.( Hattingh 58)

Water naturally collects onto plants. You can take advantage of this in a number of

ways. In the early morning, plants and trees will be covered in dew. You can sip water droplets

off of leaves. This will not provide that much water but it will at least give you some.

Plants also let off water naturally. Knowing this you can take a plastic bag and place it on the

around a bush or leafy tree branch. Tie it as tightly as possible, and prevent your bag from

becoming torn or poking holes into it. After a few hours there will be water collected in the bag.

( Hattingh 59)
 You can create your own water sill if you have the necessary

materials. A handy device you can make yourself will even

allow you to change saltwater into drinking water. All that

you need is a piece of plastic tarp and a container that will

collect water. Dig a hole roughly a foot deep and fill the

bottom of it with small rocks and stones. Place the ocean

water into the hole up to the top of the rocks. Then place the container that will collect the

water in the middle of the hole on top of the rocks. Take your plastic tarp and place it over the

hole. It is essential that the tarp covers the hole and that it is angled down aiming at the

collection container. As the saltwater evaporates, it will collect on the tarp and travel down it

into the collection container. (Tilton 13)

Finding a water source should be your first priority after you have accomplished that

you will need to provide yourself a place live. The shelter that you locate or create needs to

protect you from the weather and the temperature. There are many different forms of shelter

that can help you survive. If you are lucky enough, you will be able to find a cave or crevice in a

rock face that will provide you shelter. The added benefit of locating a cave is that they

oftentimes have water trickling down their sides. They are convenient because they provide

shelter from the wind and rain.

When you first end up on a desert island, there is a large chance that you will have some

sort of raft that can be used to make a temporary shelter. By placing your raft against a tree you

will be provided some protection from the elements. If you end up being stranded for a long

period of time, you will need to create a shelter that is more permanent.
One of the simplest types of shelter that can

be created is a simple lean to. The first thing

to do when making a lean to is to find a

strong log that is about eight to ten foot in

length. This log is placed against a tree or a

large rock. To complete the structure, you

line the sides with sticks to make walls. This

shelter should provide you shade,

protection from the wind, and some cover from the rain.

If you are lucky enough to have a tarp with you on the island, you can use this to make a

tepee structure. By taking a few long sticks and placing them together to make a cone shape

you have the basis for your structure. Then you put your tarp in place around the sticks. You

can secure it with heavy stones to prevent the wind from lifting it up or knocking it over.

(Hattingh 55)

If there end up being a lot of animals or insects on the island, you might decide that you want

to make a shelter that is elevated above the ground.

If you can locate a tree that has strong branches you

will be able to make a tree house by placing strong

sticks across the branches to create a platform. If

there are no suitable trees to make a tree house, it is

possible to create a platform that is above the

ground. To create the platform you will need logs

and something to fasten them together. Something as simple as a vine will work. Take four logs

and put them upright into the ground in a rectangular shape. Use those four pillars as a base to

help create a platform. About four feet up from the bottom of the ground use sticks to make a

platform on the logs that you put into the earth. This will allow you to make a structure that is

above the ground.( Hattingh 55)

Staying warm is one of the essential elements of surviving. Knowing how to make a fire

will greatly help you survive on a desert island. Fire has many uses: it can cook the food. It can

be used to provide warmth and light. Having a fire will also help to survive because of the

comfort that it will provide to you. A fire requires two things to make it: a flame and something

to burn. If you are lucky enough to have matches or a lighter, then the task of making a fire will

not be that difficult, but if you are stranded without these items there are still ways to make a

fire.

The first thing that you should do to create a fire is gather the fuel

that you are going to burn. You will need kindling, which is anything that

will catch fire very easily. It is also a good idea to have sticks and logs

ready to burn so that you do not have to go and look for them after you

have started a fire. Fire needs air to burn so you should arrange the sticks

that you wish to burn in a way that will let them get a lot of air. Arrange

the sticks that you wish to burn in the shape of a log cabin or a tepee. With this setup you will

allow the sticks to get enough air to create an excellent fire. Then ignite your kindling and place

it under the sticks. They should begin to burn. It is important not to add too much wood to your
fire right away because they will not be able to burn, and might put out your kindling which can

be discouraging.

If you do not have matches or a lighter there are other ways to start a fire. A battery will

cause steel wool to spark, which you can use to ignite kindling. Another way to start a fire is by

reflecting light onto kindling. This is done the most effectively with a mirror, but any thing that

reflects light can be used. Focus the light of the sun onto the kindling and wait for it to begin to

smolder. After the kindling begins to smoke then you must carefully begin to blow on it to get it

to spark.

Now that you have fire, you will want to use it to cook food, but before you can cook

food you have to find some. You can go a long time without much food as long as you have

water. Living without food will cause you to become fatigued and weak. Finding a food source

will give you the energy that you need to do the tasks that help you survive. The normal human

consumes around two thousand calories a day. While trying to survive you might need to

consume more than the average. There are many places to look for food and there are things

that can be eaten that you might have never considered before you became trapped on the

island.

Hunting can provide you with a food source that is high in protein and fat, two things

that will give you the energy to survive. The meat that comes from mammals and birds can be

eaten without worry of becoming poisoned. Most lizards can be edible but avoid amphibians

especially frogs and toads that are bright colored because they can be poisonous.

There are many things that can help you to hunt animals on a desert island. A spear can

be fashioned from a stick and a sharp point can be made with a knife or a rock. A spear is not
 the best tool to use in hunting animals because you have to get close enough to hit

the animal with the spear to use it. A bow and arrow is relatively easy to make and it

allows you the ability to be farther away from the animals that you are trying to hunt.

All that you need to do to make a bow is have a strong string or wire and a stick that

has flexibility in it. Arrows can be made from either finding sticks that are the right

size or carving a stick into the shape of an arrow. You can sharpen the arrows or add

arrowheads to them. To make an arrowhead, you can chip rocks against each other until you

get a rock that with a sharp point on it. Then you attach the arrowhead to the arrow with a

piece of twine or string.

Another method that can be used to capture animals, especially small game is to use

snares or traps. A snare can be easily made by taking a piece of rope and tying a loop into it.

Then you run the rope through the loop and attach it to a bush or tree along a path that appear

to be used by small animals. To heighten the chances that you will successfully catch something

using snares, it is a good idea to place as many of them as you possibly can.( hattingh 62)

Fishing is another way to find food. A net is a great way to catch fish, but chances are

that you will not have a net if you are stuck on a desert island. If you have a piece of rope you

can use it as a fishing line. A hook can be made from either a carved piece of wood or piece of

small metal such as a clothespin. You can find an insect to use as bait. This will help your

chances of getting a fish to bite.

There are many types of plants that can be eaten, but there are some that might be

hazardous to your health. Approach any food that you do not recognize with caution, and eat

only small portions of it at first to see what effect it has on your body. Fruits that you recognize
such as bananas or coconuts are safe to eat. Things such as berries might be dangerous.

Mushrooms should definitely be avoided because of the dangerous affect that they might have.

After a considerable amount of time on the island

without getting rescued, you might decide that you no

longer want to be on the island. Sailing away from the

island might be your only chance to ever get back to

civilization. There are many different types of rafts. To get

off the island you will need a craft that will be able to

handle the dangers of the open ocean. One of the oldest

and most successful boats used for ocean travel is the

catamaran. A catamaran is a craft that has two hulls. A

catamaran can be made by finding two logs that are porous and able to float. Then you can

construct a platform and attach it to both of the logs. The platform will allow you to sit above

the water, and it will provide a place for you store the water and food that you are taking off

the island with you. You will need to have an oar witch you can carve out of a large stick. If you

have a tarp, you can use it to make a sail which will help you to travel across the ocean.. Having

a boat that can take you across the ocean will allow you to hopefully become rescued.

Eventually you will be able to find land or a boat will see you and pick you up.

By staying positive, you will keep yourself from becoming discouraged and allow

yourself to make a plan that will be successful. With these basic survival techniques you will be

able to survive. By being creative you will be able to come up with solutions to the problems
that you face. This will allow you to find a way to get off of the desert island or any other

situation that you might find yourself in.

Works Cited

Hattingh, Garth. Outdoor Survival. 1st ed. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole books, 2003. Print.

Tilton, Buck. Outdoor Safety Handbook. 1st ed. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole books, 2006.
Print.