Human beings are strong! We can survive situations that go beyond our imagination! Can you imagine being alone on an island? Or worse… being on a sinking boat and struggling for your life?

Some of the people on this list did amazing and disgusting things that will surprise you!

From 14-year-old boys left alone on an island to people who got stuck in the wild… These stories will make you wonder about your own survival skills…

One U.S. President was a real life, Gilligan. This was a real shocker revealed on slide #1.

How far are you willing to go to stay alive? Find out what these people did…

21. Meet “Driftwood Dave”

David Burguess is a 60-year-old man. This castaway has been living in Exmoor National Park in England for 30 years.

He decided to live in the woods. His shack is built from pieces of pretty much anything he could find. This is how he got his name, Driftwood Dave.

Get this, he even owns a piece of the land he lives on!

Next, Living the dream or a nightmare? For most men this is only a fantasy…

20. John Adams and 10 women

In 1789 John Adams was part of a crew of bounty mutineers that landed on the Fiji Islands. There were 9 crewmen, 6 Tahitian men and 11 women…

But, the crewmen and the Tahitian men killed each other. Adams was the only good man left… 10 years later the ship “Topaz” landed on the island and found Adams living in peace with 10 women and a wife… Or should I say, wives?

Next crew of castaways had to eat a lot of ________ to survive…. eww! Take a peek and see if you could eat what they did…

19. Attacked By Killer Whales…The Robertson Family

This family bought a small boat to travel the world.

After 17 months of traveling a bunch of killer whales crashed into the boat!

This family used a tiny inflatable life raft to survive for 54 days. Eating only dead turtles to survive. They finally got rescued by a Japanese boat.

Wait until you see what the next castaway did to some nasty pirates! Think you could do the same? …

18. The Pirate Crusher…Philip Ashton

He was captured by pirates in 1722 but managed to escape. Stuck in the Bay Islands of Honduras, he hid until the pirates gave up looking for him.

He survived on the Island until a ship from New England rescued him.

Next, you won’t believe the trouble a cute little seal can cause. Can you guess?…

17. Eddie Stebbings, Bee Bueche & The Cute Seal

These newlyweds were exploring the United Kingdom’s Skomer Island when a seal payed them a visit.

The seal jumped right into their boat. It was so heavy they couldn’t move the boat. They stayed on the island for 6 days until the seal moved.

Next castaway was banished to sea for being gay. You won’t believe what he did to survive…

16. The Gay Survivor…Leendert Hasenboasch

This man was a heroic dutch sailor in the 18th century.

He was banished to an island in the South Atlantic Ocean as a punishment for being gay.

He was forced to drink his own urine and the blood of turtles. Sadly, he died after 6 months.

Next up… The real life story of survival documented on a coconut tree…

15. Chunosuke Matsuyama

This man was a Japanese sailor in 1754. His boat crashed into a coral reef. He had to stay on a deserted island in the pacific ocean.

He wasn’t alone. He was there with a crew of 43 other sailors. They couldn’t find food or water so they all died.

Before dying, Chunosuke carved their experiences into pieces of wood from a Coconut tree. He put the pieces in a bottle and tossed it into the water.

150 years later a fisherman at Chunosuke’s village found the bottle!

Next, a strong woman, blubber, and bones. Wait until you see what happens after she is rescued…

14. Sole Survivor…Juana Maria

This woman was the last member of her tribe… She lived alone for 18 years in the 19th century.

She was a part of a rescue operation after a Russian attack on her tribe. As the sole survivor, she survived by eating whale blubber. This smart woman lived in a hut made of whale bones. What an inspiration.

She was “rescued” by a hunter named George Nidever in 1853. Tragically, Juana Maria died from dysentery only 7 months after her rescue.

Next, You can’t imagine what these castaways did to their rescuer. Disgusting…

13. The Betrayed Hero…Charles Barnard

This man rescued a British ship that sunk near Eagle Islands.

When his ship docked in the island to get more provisions the crew took over and left him on the island.

18 months passed until he was finally rescued.

Next up, Even thinking about these castaways makes me shiver…

12. The Ice Cube… Ernest Shackleton

In 1914 this man led an expedition to cross Antarctica by ship.

The ship sunk. The crew had to camp in a place with temperatures only -49 degrees!

Shackleton and 5 other men left to find help. They walked 1,300 km in 17 days. This man lost his fingers thanks to the cold. Amazingly, found help and every man in the expedition survived.

Next up: The naked castaway. You have to see this to believe it…

11. Ed Stafford

This man stayed for 30 days on a deserted island naked with just a camera! Get this, he chose to be there.

He recorded his experiences.

The discovery channel aired a show about him.

Next castaway was the inspiration for one of the greatest books ever. Can you guess who? …

10. The Real Robinson Crusoe …Alexander Selkirk

He was a 18th Century Scottish sailor.

His captain abandoned him on an island because he wasn’t “loyal enough”. He lived on the island for 4 years. He was a great survivor. He was a true teacher of the value of being able to adapt quickly to any situation.

A private ship rescued him in 1709. His story inspired the famous novel “Robinson Crusoe”!

Next up: Possibly the craziest man you’ll ever meet…

9. The Crazy Castaway…Tom Neale

This man is one of the 2 people on the list that became a castaway by his own choice.

He was in love with Cook Islands. So, he made the decision of gathering supplies (including his 2 cats) and go and live on the island.

He lived there for 16 years!

Next, this castaway was a baby. Younger than my son…

8. Otokichi

This japanese sailor was only 14 years old when the rice transport ship he was on drifted away.

He survived for 14 long months. Finally, he and 3 other survivors found the Makah Indian tribe. Rescued at last? Not so fast.

They became slaves until the Hudson Bay Company rescued them.

Next, Did these castaways deserve to be left? …

7. 3 Criminal Castaways…Mexican Shark Fishermen

Jesus Vidana Lopez, Salvador Ordoñez and Lucio Rendon were on a “fishing trip” when their boat ran out of fuel.

They spent 10 months in the pacific ocean. A Taiwanese trawler rescued them in 2006. Some people say they were smuggling drugs.

Next up: You won’t believe the price they paid for an affair…

6. Marguerite De La Rocque

In 1542, this french woman was on a trip on her cousin’s boat. Everything was going well until they caught her having an affair with a young man.

The captain of the boat (her dear cousin) abandoned the lovers and a maid in a place called “The Isle of Demons”.

Margarite had a baby. Weeks passed and her lover, the maid and the baby died. Despite this, she was a survivor.

Margarite hunted to eat and protected herself. A fisherman rescued her after 2 years and she returned to France.

The place was famous for having “devilish creatures”.

Next up, A little boy stronger than most grown men. What these women did had me crying…

5. The Abandonded Boy… Narcisse Pelletier

This castaway was also 14 years old when his crew abandoned him on a desert island.

He was working on a boat in 1858. Wanting one less mouth to feed, his crew took off and left him behind.

3 aboriginal women from the island in Papau New Guinea, adopted him and named him “Amglo”.

I couldn’t possibly eat what the next guy did. Could you? …

4. Birdman …José Salvador Alvarenga

This man was fishing when horrible weather blew his boat 11,000 km way of course.

He spent 13 months in the pacific ocean. To survive he ate raw fish, birds and rain-water.

His friend, Ezequiel Cordoba, died 4 months into the incident leaving him all alone.

In 2014, his boat drifted into the shore near the Marshall Islands. His horrible journey was finally over.

Next, meet the real life, Gilligan. See how they made the Professor proud…

3 mariners safe after joint rescue by #USCG @USPacificFleet @US7thFleet @Amver More: https://t.co/g0j8k8f5eu pic.twitter.com/DRcHyBApVQ

— USCG Hawaii Pacific (@USCGHawaiiPac) April 9, 2016

 

 

 

3. The Creative Writing Castaways

These 3 men were on a skiff trip when a big wave threw them right into the sea! They swum to a nearby beach and stayed there for 3 days! They decided to use some palms to write a giant HELP sign that the Navy Aircrew spotted!

Next, this strong woman had to watch all of her friends die… 

2. Ada Blackjack – The Lone Survivor!

Ada Blackjack was an inuit woman. She was a member of a daring expedition to the North of Siberia in 1921.

The temperatures were under -15 degrees! There were 5 people in that expedition. Ada was the only survivor. She adapted to the conditions. Started hunting and got rescued in 1923.

Could you imagine surviving in conditions like that? Could you imagine all your friends dying around you?

Next one was one of our favorite presidents and a real life Gilligan. Can you guess who?…

1. Jonh F. Kennedy – A True Survivor…

In 1943, U.S. president John F. Kennedy was serving his country in the military. He was the skipper of a boat that got sunk by a Japanese destroyer.

They had to avoid crocodiles and sharks that were trying to eat them for dinner. They survived on coconuts! After 6 days, boy scouts rescued the team.

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