04x08 - Pacific Island

[bunniefuu]

i'm bear grylls.
whoo!

i'm gonna show you
what it takes to get out alive

from some of the most dangerous
places on earth.

i've got to make it
through a week of challenges...

in the sort of places
you wouldn't last a day

without the right
survival skills.

this week, I'm off
the west coast of panama

at the mercy
of the pacific ocean.

we'll be getting too close
to comfort with the locals...

Holy smoke!
Look, look, look, look!

Whales! Whales!

...fighting my way
onto storm-battered islands...

...and struggling to stay
afloat on a small raft

as I battle through big surf.

Whoa!

Only this morning, all of
the islands in this region

Were hit by a great, violent,
tropical cyclonic storm.

We got a very small window
to get in there.

We need to move.

All right.

the pilot's gonna take me
out to sea and ditch me

so I can show you
how to make it back to safety

if you got marooned
on a deserted island.

to the east of these islands
lies panama,

to the west, the vast pacific,

thousands of square miles
of empty ocean.

Only a tiny handful
of these islands are inhabited.

The main reason for that

Is the lack
of fresh drinking water.

Just staying hydrated is
gonna be a major challenge

In this heat and humidity.

the weather
can change fast here.

the pilot's heard the weather
front is closing in again.

time for a change of plan.

With all these
tropical storms around,

The pilot's not taking
any chances with the island.

Instead, he's gonna dump me
on that sandbar,

And I'm gonna take
my own chances from there.

he can't spend long here.

the rotor wash
can blow loose sand

up into the air intakes and
the engine -- not good news.

we're 10 foot up.
Time to go.

Well, that's the heli
out of here,

But, man, this is some place
to be dropped,

Just on a sandbar
with the tide rising.

We need to get off this,
get onto the island.

soon this sandbar
will be engulfed by water.

there's an island
two miles to the east.

to swim to that would take most
people over an hour and a half.

a tough swim,
but it'll be your only option.

in the opposite direction

lies thousands of miles
of empty ocean.

Okay.
Time to go swimming.

once I'm through the surf,
it's out into the open water.

tiger, bull, and great white
sharks prowl these waters.

you wouldn't want to come
face-to-face with any of them.

Holy smoke!
Look, look, look, look!

Whales! Whales!

There's a massive humpback
in the water with us --



These guys are huge,
and they grow up to 40 foot.

I can't believe
I'm actually this close.

I actually feel
very, very vulnerable

Being in the water with mammals
that big and that close.

Just beautiful.

What a privilege.

near the island,
the sea state changes.

as the water is funneled
and pressured by the land,

strong currents form.

it's a battle
to stay on course.

We went through
that current line,

But the challenge now is
all this swell on the rocks.

I just want to get
into this gully.

Just watch yourself.
Let me get out first.

timing is everything

when you're faced
with a five-foot swell.

these rocks are bone-breakers.

Okay. Step up.

Yeah. That's it.

Up, up, up.

Cool.

i may have reached dry land,
but I'm sea-locked

by a 60-foot wall
of solid rock.

i got to find a way up.

This might be possible.
Shall we get up this?

these islands were formed

when two
tectonic plates collided

over 1 1/2 million years ago.

the seabed was literally forced
up out of the ocean

to form this archipelago.

the sedimentary limestone
makes for a challenging ascent.

It's -- it's horrible.

Man, it's a layer upon layer

Of crumbling rock,

Bird poo,
and bone-dry dirt.

Nightmare.

I mean, it's just like this.
You think it's solid.

Okay.
Let's get into this.

the first priority
is to cross the island.

the far shore faces east
towards panama.

only once you know
what lies beyond

can you plan your next move.

after five minutes,
I'm across.

Just nothing as far
as the eye can see.

Quite an intimidating sight
when you see that much ocean.

with no sign of land and no
chance of immediate rescue,

you need to search your island
for resources --

anything that will help you
stay alive

and help you to escape.

there's a beach below.

it's a good place
to start the search.

Just see how dry all this is.

But there's also this rock.

It's porous,
which means when it rains,

It's just gonna run straight
through it and not collect.

And that's why
finding freshwater

Is gonna be so hard here.

Okay, let's get
down to the beach,

See what we find down there.

Dead booby -- it stinks.

Well, there's nothing on here
really for me.

Might take the head --

Might be able to use that,
actually.

beaches are
rich hunting grounds.

Hey, look, you see what all
the tide's washed up here.

wherever you are in the world,

you'll often find signs
of human garbage.

Look, see all of this rubbish?

there's a lot of stuff
I can use here --

fishing nets, plastic bottles,
and driftwood.

it's a treasure trove.

What'll happen -- the tide
will just wash all of this up,

And then as it goes out,
it leaves it all.

There's just masses of it.

one man's garbage can be
another man's salvation.

all this driftwood
and pieces of polystyrene

are ideal raft-building
materials.

Loads of these
flips-flops around.

And, actually,
these burn really well.

And before I get
into any of this,

One of the most important things
I can do

Is actually build a signal fire
to go up on the cliffs,

You know, 'cause if a ship
does come past,

Those are precious seconds.

I want to be able
to light a fire

And make myself seen
as quickly as I can.

getting your signal fire
ready to light

at a moment's notice
is critical.

a phrase I often use is
please remember what's first.

this stands for protection,
rescue, water, and food.

now that I'm ashore safely,
the next priority is

to maximize
the chance of rescue.

Any of these will do.

You just need
a good, straight branch

To make a tripod
for the signal fire.

Okay.
Let's get this thing built.

This is probably about the most
visible point on the island

Up here.

I'll try and make it here --

A good view
all the way out to sea.

Okay.

first job, the tripod --

then build a platform
at the bottom

and cover it with dried grass
which will light fast.

And these flip-flops
make a load of black smoke,

And black smoke
is gonna stand out

Because it's a good contrast
and looks very unnatural.

They're not gonna mistake that
for a bush fire.

once the fire is built,
make a torch to light it.

The important thing
about a torch

Is that when you want it
to light,

It goes straight away
first time.

And all of this
is just dry banana husk.

Really rough it up,

So it's nice and fibrous
and will take a spark.

rains come fast and heavy here.

if the grass gets a soaking,
it will never light,

so cover it
to keep the water out.

banana leaves are perfect.

Okay, that will do it.

Hopefully, this will stay dry,

And when I need it alight,
whip it away, get it going.

in my next challenge, there's
a prize worth fighting for --

a large rope
beached in a steep gully.

there's only one way down
but no way back.

Let's give it a go.

i'm on a pacific island
west of panama.

surrounded by miles
of open water,

if you are stuck here,

you'll be faced
with a stark choice.

Lot of harsh decisions
for the survivor to make.

It's just whether to stay
or whether to go,

On an island like this.

But what's important
is you make these decisions

While you're feeling strong,
while you're thinking clearly,

You know,
because what happens --

If you think of this
as your health

And this line as time,

You're gonna start off
feeling strong,

But as you dehydrate,
you don't get enough food,

You don't get enough nutrients,

Eventually you're
gonna reach a point here

Where you're
deteriorating fast.

Once you reach that point,
this island becomes your prison.

So what matters is make
all your big decisions

Up this end of the curve,

Where you're feeling mentally
and physically strong.

ultimately I plan
to build a raft,

but before setting out to sea,
you need supplies.

i'm gonna search the island

to stockpile food
and, above all, water.

Now, actually, look.

You see there's
water coming down there --

All these drips.

Mmm.
That's fresh, as well.

So even though
it looks bone-dry up here,

Water is gonna seep
through the rock,

And it's coming out of here.

And when you've got
as little freshwater

As there is on this island,
every little drop is precious.

garbage from the beach
will enable me to collect it.

What you got to do is put
a knot in that end

To hold it in there,

And then just make a big cluster
of knots on this end.

And what you want is
just to be able to squeeze it

Into the funnel right there,

And then what's gonna happen

Is that the water
is gonna drip off the seep,

Down the line,
and then into the bottle.

And it's not gonna be fast,

But, you know, over a day,
that's gonna fill up.

And that actually, you see
that starting to work already.

See where it's just going darker
at the top,

And that's slowly seeping
its way down the line.

adults need three liters
of fluid a day.

drink less, and your health
can deteriorate,

with it your ability

to think straight
and make rational decisions.

A lot of the seas here

Are just teeming,
teeming with fish.

If you can get them,
it's good protein.

I'm gonna try my hand
at a bit of spear-fishing.

I've got this booby skull
that I found,

And all I need do
is fix that to the end.

It makes a good, natural
three-pronged spear.

platted banana husk
makes excellent cordage.

once you're done,
lash it all together.

And look -- then you got a nice
three-pronged spear there.

And it's actually how
the birds themselves hunt.

They dive, spear the fish,
and pull them out.

Good enough for them,
good enough for me.

Let's give it a go.

The shore is littered
with deep pools.

if I can lure some fish
into one,

it'll be
the ideal hunting ground.

but I need bait,
and this crab is easy pickings.

Come here.

It's gonna be useful.

Get some of these crab innards
into this pool.

And that's gonna be a nice place
just for fish to come in,

Hopefully have a bit
of a munch on this,

And then I can try
and dive on top of them.

They're gonna love
all of this stuff.

the fish are deep,
but I'm gonna try a technique

used by hunters of the kanak
islands in the south pacific.

What the kanak islanders do is
they dive in with their spear,

Get their legs
right up behind them,

So the first thing that
enters the water is the spear.

And that gives the most force

And means they can go
for bigger fish.

There he is. Look, you see him
taking a bit of the crab.

Wow, that was a close one.

There's loads down here.

Okay, legs right up.

God. Heavy.

Here, let me get him up to you.

It's a triggerfish.

Let's finish him off.
Hang on.

Whoa.

One triggerfish.

Cool.

Man, look at the teeth
on that thing.

They're almost human.

But the reason
they're so big and strong

Is this guy feeds off coral,

Just uses those teeth
to munch through it.

And then this bit on the top,
the trigger --

If it's threatened,
that will go up,

And it acts as like a barb

To stop any bigger fish
trying to swallow it.

But, actually, if you haven't
got a lot of drinking water,

One of the best things you can
eat from a fish is the eyeball.

It's got masses of fluid in it.

Well, there you go.
See that?

It looks pretty horrible,

But really nutritious
and lots of good fluids in it.

Difficult to chew on it --

It slides from one side
of your mouth to the other...

...like a salty...

Chewy marble.

Let's get him gutted.

i'm saving the meat for later.

i'll need fire tonight,

and this is gonna be
a substantial meal.

to survive here, you can't
afford to rest for a minute.

the hunt for resources
never ends.

my water traps are working.

time to grab a drink,
then continue the search.

just north of my beach,
the land rises sharply.

A big drop-off.

I think I'll back up a bit.

Look, there's a ship's rope
down there.

See that on the surf?

If I can get that,
that'll be so useful.

Hang on. This is gonna be
a nightmare to get down.

on this loose, steep rock,
it's too risky to free-climb.

the old netting I found on
the beach could be the answer.

Ah, it's gonna be perfect.

I want to get this done quickly.

I don't know how long
that rope's gonna stay.

Look at it. It's getting
washed out in the surf.

I need to move.

And what I'm gonna do here
is put a clove hitch --

Around itself, over the top,

And under.

Again, it's all so loose.

Okay, time to put
the weight on it.

Well, this is holding
quite nicely.

I'm at the limit of this now.

The only problem is

Is when I'm gonna get back up
once I let this go.

the netting has got me
most of the way down.

Let's give it a go.

getting back up
is gonna be much harder.

Well, look at the size of this.

A serious oil tanker
or something that would use it,

But one thick strand

Probably means
about 500 little strands.

But it weighs a ton.

There's no way I'm gonna
drag this back up there.

Let's see if it floats,
and I'll swim around.

Yeah, it's floating.

Okay, I'll meet you around
the corner. I'm gonna swim it.

successful island survival
involves a daily routine

of finding food, water, and
planning your escape or rescue.

the downside is
when opportunities come,

you can be in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

There's something
on the horizon.

See it? Let's get to the beach.
Come on.

i'm on a deserted island.
There's a boat on the horizon.

i got to get ashore
and light my signal fire.

Get this rope up the beach.

it's a race against time.

Look, there you go,
on the horizon.

See it? It's a mast.

Okay, let's get on the hill,
get the signal fire lit.

Every second here
is valuable to the survivor.

Go on, get lit.
Here we go. Okay.

Hey! Hey!

The flip-flops are beginning
to kick in now --

A bit of the black smoke.

Hey! Hey!

on a calm day,
the human voice can be heard

over 10 miles away over water,
but not today.

The problem is the wind's
blowing this way,

And that's gonna mean
my sound's not gonna carry far,

Definitely not far
enough for them.

And I guess for the survivor

To experience
disappointment like that,

Seeing what you hope
is gonna be rescue,

To see that disappear,
that must be so hard.

And then it just becomes
this battle

To keep your hope
and your spirits high.

And that's why they say
the real battle for survival

Is actually in your mind
and in your heart.

See what it's like
under the tree.

darkness is closing in.

i want to find somewhere
to shelter for the night.

You know,
this wouldn't be a bad place,

Actually,
for a shelter up here.

I don't want to be
down on the beach

With all the sand flies
and the crabs.

Also the tide
comes right up there.

But here you got full visibility
out to sea

And also that nice sea breeze.

Whew.

using the old fishing net
I found,

i can make a hammock,

a great way to get
off the ground

and away from all the bugs.

use a couple of sticks
as spreaders at each end,

then tie it to a sturdy
tree trunk with string.

this stuff's old,
but it should do the trick.

And then give this a try.
Up!

Ugh!

More string?

Better to happen now than
at 3:00 a.m. In the morning.

Okay, try a bit
of thicker string.

Let's hope
it'll be less salt-eroded.

Hopefully.

Perfect.

now I need cover from the rain.

a simple a-frame
is just the job.

And then on to this,

And drape a load of banana
leaves as a thatching.

All you got to do is nick them,

And then we'll just drape it
over the top.

very quickly, you can build up
a good covering layer.

And then if it does rain,

I also want to be able
to collect that water,

And just use another
of these banana leaves for that.

You can see that's a really
nice, natural funnel

All the way down,
and this will fill up

In like a minute
if it's a torrential rain.

Okay, good job.

night falls fast here.

we're just 500 miles
north of the equator,

where the sun rises and falls
vertically.

with the darkness comes rain.

a roaring fire
will keep me warm

and allow me to cook
my triggerfish.

fire, food, and shelter
are vital,

but the survivor
needs something else

which drives him
to make it out alive.

For me, I always
kind of think of it

As the three f's --

My family, the faith,

And of good friends.

And ultimately
it's all about keeping

Your hope
and your spirits high,

And that's what does it for me.

Yow!

as a new day dawns,
I continue to hunt for food...

Whoo!

I got an oyster.

...and water.

soon I'm gonna leave
this island,

and every last drop will count.

i'm on a desert island
off the coast of panama.

the rains came last night,

and the banana-leaf water trap
has worked.

At least I've got a decent
supply now of freshwater.

you lose several liters
of fluid a day

through breath, sweat, and pee.

i'll need more water
before I set out to sea.

These sort of rock gullies --
they're often good places

To try and free-dive
for conch, oyster.

There's quite a lot of swell
here, but they like that.

They like that movement
of the water over them.

Okay,
let's try a bit of this.

Yow!

the oysters are deep
and well hidden.

you can train your body
to stay down longer

by spending a minute
under the water

followed by a minute
on the surface.

that way you flush out
all the carbon dioxide

which is your body's trigger
to breathe.

grabbing a rock is a good way

to counteract your body's
natural buoyancy.

Whoo!

Hard to see without a mask.

Get my breath back.

Whoo!

I got an oyster.

It's not the traditional --
traditional dozen oysters,

But it's better than nothing.

Come on.
Let's get it to shore.

There we go.
That's it, open.

And these are all the guts --
the bit you don't want.

packed with proteins
and minerals,

oysters are
the perfect survival food,

and there's
an almost endless supply.

It'd be nicer sharing it

With the love of your life
and a glass of wine,

But out here, it's as good
as I'm gonna get.

i found several sources
of water on the island,

but I still need more.

i'm surrounded on all sides by
seawater, but I can't drink it.

the salt fries your kidneys,

dehydrates you,
and ultimately kills you.

If you think cunningly,
there is actually ways

Of getting freshwater
from salt water.

if you boil seawater
and collect the steam,

that will be drinkable.

As the salt water boils,

The steam goes up,
condenses, drips down,

And comes
out of this little hole.

fires are notoriously difficult
to start by the sea

because of all the humidity
in the air.

salt-soaked wood won't light,

but dry banana husk
will take a spark.

Okay, let's get this on.

the still will take
a while to work,

which leaves me time
to contemplate my next move.

I guess the choice
is pretty stark.

You know, do you stay here
and wait for rescue,

Or do you go, take your chances
on the open sea,

But risk death?

But I guess I know
what I'd do.

but there's no guarantee
rescue will come,

and with
such little water here,

your health will start
to decline rapidly.

given that choice,
I'd build a raft and set sail.

driftwood from the beach
is ideal.

And then for all of the lashing,

I'm just gonna use
the shipping rope.

the key element to sea survival
is staying dry.

i want to make sure this raft
keeps me up out of the water.

Use these as cross struts --

One there and another here.

It means I can then build
another layer on top of this,

But with a bit of a gap,

And into that gap I can force

All of the polystyrene
and the bottles

That's been washed up
in this gully.

fill the gap as tight
as possible with polystyrene.

then cover it with
another layer of driftwood,

and tie it all down
as tight as you can.

And then all I need is
a good a-frame at the back

To put a tiller through.

A really good, long length
of tiller pole here

Gonna make paddling
much more efficient --

I can really put my weight
into it then.

All I need is to attach
this bit to the end.

Okay, that will do.

before I launch,

i want to collect the water
from my still.

it's not much, but together
with my other water traps,

i've got six liters.

now to set sail
east towards panama.

Well, I'm about as prepared
as I can be on this.

You know, I've got
a good, sturdy raft.

I've got a means of steering it
with this tiller.

I got water,
and I got these fenders

To give a bit of stability
on the edge.

But ultimately
there comes a time

Where you just got
to commit to it,

Summon up a little bit
of bottle,

And then just go for it.

And it's a bit like skydiving,
you know.

There's only so many times
you can check your parachute.

Ultimately, you got
to open that door and jump.

i'm in the pacific ocean,

and I've just set sail
east towards panama.

now the sanctuary of my island
is fading

as I slowly drift away.

Well, we got away
from the island.

The reality is,
once you set sail,

There's no going back.

You know, really you're then
at the mercy

Of just all the tides
and the currents

That rip around this island.

Kind of a one-way ticket,
you know?

now I'm out in the open sea.

i'm exposed to the elements,

and it makes you feel
very, very vulnerable.

Here comes the sun again.

It's been behind the clouds
for the last hour.

It's been bliss.

Soon as it comes out,
it's just blistering.

Okay.
Let's get this up.

Whew.

All this crisscross netting
overlapped

Just makes
all the sunlight dapple

And takes
the main brunt of it away.

But a midday like this
without any sort of shade,

You're toast.

That's the bottom line.

under this burning sun,

staying hydrated at sea is
a survivor's biggest challenge,

but a small rock ahead

offers me a chance
to replenish supplies.

the current is dragging me
straight towards it.

Kind of half tempted
just to see

If I can have
a quick look around

And see if there's
any freshwater on there

Or anything else
that can help me.

there's a big swell
around the island.

timing will be everything.

with my raft tethered,

i can head up
and see what's on here.

Just a stinking, fetid,

Horrible block of rock

In the middle of the sea,

Stinking of all
of this guano,

Bird poop,
and all of these cactus.

Look, you see
that's it's covered in it.

I can hardly breathe,
this place stinks so much.

But the raft's holding.
Let's get up this thing.

Scan the horizon a bit here
from right up this rock.

Well, this is
one of these places

You never really
even imagine exists...

And you certainly never want
to come to again.

There's some booby eggs.

See these? Look.
A little nest.

See if these are fresh.

Ugh, man, that one is not.

That one's kind of all right.

it's full of protein

but tastes like a mix
of salt and fish -- delightful.

time to leave
this putrid island.

Actually, look.

There's a pool
of a little water here,

And this is gonna be fresh.

We're way above
the high-tide mark here.

The thing is,
is it is full of bird droppings

And looking pretty fetid,

But it is worth
collecting this.

And look,
you can just see that --

Stinking water, but fresh.

And when you got really limited
amount of freshwater at sea,

You got to collect
every drop you can.

with my bottle full,
I'm done here.

Get off that godforsaken rock.

Whew.
At least I got an egg.

Oh.

all too soon,
darkness will fall.

Come on, the sun.

it's gonna be a long night.

i'm on a raft
in the pacific ocean.

i've collected
some freshwater,

but it's full of bird
droppings, and it's rancid.

drink this,

and you'd probably vomit
and risk worsening dehydration.

but there is a way of using it
to gain life-giving fluids,

but only as a last resort.

i'm gonna give myself an enema.

Not expecting this
to be particularly pleasant,

But there are stories of this
saving people's lives.

There's one particular family
who was stranded in a life raft.

And all this water had gathered
in the bottom of it,

Where they'd
been feeding off turtles.

It was mixed with turtle blood.
It had gone fetid.

And the only way
they managed to stay hydrated

Was by using that fetid water
and giving themselves an enema.

the robertson family
survived 38 days adrift

because they were willing to do
anything to stay alive.

[ Spits, coughs ]

[ Groans ]

the mother was a nurse

and knew that the colon
can absorb fluid.

by performing an enema,
you bypass the gag reflex,

rehydrating your body
without the risk of vomiting.

And now, once it's in --
ugh --

I guess all you can do
is lie back

And think of england.

this must only ever be
undertaken as a last resort.

Please. Ugh.

as the sun drops,
I face my next challenge --

a long, uncomfortable night
at sea.

[ Thunder rumbles ]

I think this is ranking

As one of the worst nights
I've ever spent now.

Come on, the sun.

Spent all day cursing the sun,

And now what I want is
to see the sun.

Ugh. Just impossible.

Ugh.

And it's kind of hard
to try and sleep sitting up,

But it's just as hard
lying down,

Getting covered
in wave after wave.

Whoo!

a new day brings
a new challenge.

there's another island ahead.

I can see land over there,
where the current's taking me.

but between me and
the sanctuary of the shoreline

lies some big surf.

Just the wind and the current
are blowing me towards --

It's like a mouth
of a river here.

Try and get
a good, stable position on this

Before the surf hits.

Whoa!
[ Spits ]

once over the surf,
I enter the river.

it's a natural highway
through the thick jungle.

You see
all of the banks here --

Just this horrible
jungle mangrove --

But rivers like this
on coastlines

More often than not will lead
you eventually to people.

So that's what I'm following.

You see there's not a lot
of deadfall in the river,

Which you normally get
in the jungle,

Which I'm hoping is a good sign.

It means maybe there are people
or a village

Who keep it open as a navigable
route through the jungle.

panama and its islands

are home
to the american crocodile.

growing up to a ton in weight,
they're a formidable predator.

Coastal jungle rivers like this

Almost invariably are gonna have
crocodiles in them,

So I just want to keep
a really good eye out

Along the banks as I'm moving.

recently a fisherman
was dragged to his death

near here
by an enormous croc.

his body was never recovered.

It's just eerily quiet
in this place.

i've got to keep my eyes
peeled here.

Look. You see that log?

That's obviously been cut down,
been chain-sawed.

It's a good sign.

It's been chain-sawed.
It means people use this river.

as I round the bend,
there's a sand bank.

lying on it are several boats.

Okay, let's get into it.

a hundred yards inland,
there's a village.

this is my pickup point.

on the outskirts
of the settlement

is my ticket home.

the sound of the helicopter
engine firing up

breaks the silence.

That's my way out of here.

Now time to go.

this has been
a roller-coaster ride.

the cruel sea tests a survivor
physically and mentally.

the ultimate force of nature,
it can make you feel so small.

but my island adventure
is over,

and it's time to go home.