If you have been sweating a lot and begin to feel dizzy, sick and tired, you could be lacking salt. A pinch of salt in a pint of water is enough, but if you haven't got any salt tablets with you, dilute a little seawater in lots of fresh water and drink, or leave some seawater out in the sun so that the water evaporates and you are left with some salt crystals.
A fire can:
– keep you warm and dry
– be used for cooking
– be used to boil water to purify it
– be used as a signal (see Tip 10)
A good point to remember with fire is the fire triangle.
Without one of these elements, your fire will go out.
A shelter can protect you from the sun, wind, rain and insects. It can make you feel better too and this will help increase your will to survive.
You'll need to pick a site where there's plenty of material to build it with, and remember to make it large enough and level enough for you to lie down comfortably.
Try, too, to camp on the edge of forests so that you can see anything approaching.
Places to avoid building your shelter:
1. Hilltops exposed to the wind
2. Valley bottoms (could be damp)
3. Near tracks that look like ones that animals use regularly
4. Always look up into tree canopies for dead wood that could come crashing down when it is windy. A big branch could kill you!
5. Keep away from solitary trees that may attract lightning
One further point: a latrine. Make sure this is some distance away from your camp, downwind. It's not just hygienic; inquisitive wildlife could come and check it out!
Even the smallest scratch can cause you problems in tropical conditions. Wash thoroughly in sterilized water, then use antiseptic cream if you have it. And wash your own hands in sterilized water first if you are treating a wound on someone else – it's easy to pass on infection. Don't try and be a martyr; if you have a blister, deal with it before it becomes a problem. In the SAS, we had to cover miles sometimes with heavy bergens (packs) so, believe me, I know all about blisters!
Not all tropical islands have komodo dragons on them, but there could be wildlife, and it may not all be friendly. Be aware of noises, be careful when following a game trail, and try not to attract attention to yourself unnecessarily by shouting or moving too rapidly over terrain with which you are unfamiliar. At night, if you are part of a group, set a watch to alert everyone to any possible danger approaching.
In any tropical situation, there will almost certainly be lots of insects. There's not much you can do about it but do try and cover bare skin so that they have less access to your body and – I know it's hard – try not to scratch if you do get bitten, as this will often make a bite itch even more. If sleeping in your shelter, try and organize a way of sleeping off the ground to cut down on the amount of creatures that might treat your body as a stepping-stone. And if you've taken your boots off, shake them out before you put your foot back in there – you could find something like a centipede has decided to make a home for itself in there!
In swampy areas, sucking creatures like leeches could also attach themselves to your skin. They will drink their fill and then drop off. If you try and pull them off as soon as you see them, their heads will become detached from their bodies, remain under your skin and can start up a poisonous reaction.
Unfortunately, survival situations don't usually come with maps, but there are lots of ways you can find your way about by interpreting the signs on the ground and in the air. And if you explore a tropical island, you can make your own map as you go, marking anything you might want to find again, like a river or a good place for fuel for your fire.
As a general rule, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Even if you don't know the exact positions, just this fact alone could help you decide how to position your shelter. And if you know anything about the stars, you can use these to help navigate too.
Look up to the sky, too, and watch how the clouds change as these can give you a very good idea of what kind of weather is approaching. Tropical zones have lots of sudden storms and it can help you to survive if you can predict when bad weather could be coming. A storm is not the ideal time to be climbing trees, for instance!
To maximize your chances of rescue, build a signal-fire so that, at the first sign of any rescuers, you can draw attention to your position.
Keep green and damp wood/fuel for daytime-signalling as it produces a lot of smoke. Keep dry fuel separately for the night-time as this produces light.
If you can't light a fire for any reason, why not try arranging pieces of seaweed on the beach into a message that can be read from the sky. Or polish any piece of metal with sand so that you can flash light into the sky to attract attention. And morse code is known all over the world.
Dot, dot, dot dash, dash, dash dot, dot, dot
= s.o.s.
BE SAFE!
Random House Children's Books and Chris Ryan would like to make it clear that these tips are for use in a serious situation only, where your life may he at risk. We cannot accept any liability for inappropriate usage in normal conditions.
About the Author
Chris Ryan joined the SAS in 1984 and has been involved in numerous operations with the regiment. During the Gulf War, he was the only member of an eight-man team to escape from Iraq, three colleagues being killed and four captured. It was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS. For this he was awarded the Military Medal. He wrote about his remarkable escape in the adult bestseller The One That Got Away (1995), which was also adapted for screen.
He left the SAS in 1994 and is now the author of a number of bestselling thrillers for adults. His work in security takes him around the world and he has also appeared in a number of television series, most recently Hunting Chris Ryan, in which his escape and evasion skills were demonstrated to the max. The Alpha Force titles are his first books for young readers.
