Survival Guide For the High Seas

The next chapter in the book is called The High Seas. In the chapter, Kamler doesn't adventure out to sea, instead he gives us insight on what happens to the body through other survivors' stories. This chapter has many useful and interesting tips on what to and what not to do. I decided to make a short survival guide for when someone is stranded in the ocean.

Finding Food and Water

Take advantage of rain! Use a canopy or tarp of some sort to funnel in rain water in containers. Two thirds of the body is made up of water, and water is used in all chemical reactions and bodily functions. A person can’t eat without water, so because the digestive enzymes won’t function properly. “Sea water sends you mad”. Organs and tissues are intolerant to increased salt. Salt is very hard to get out once dissolved in water. The more salt water you drink, the thirstier you get.
Dehydration can lead to hallucinations it can be very convincing because the brain doesn’t get enough excitement, so it creates its own excitement. Electrochemistry is generated by emotion and memory. People have even been known to walk off the boat.

Watch what you eat! Normal human diet should contain 60% of carbohydrates because they are an important fuel, and our bodies can’t manufacture it. In the ocean, a human needs to about a pound of carbohydrates a day. In order to obtain carbohydrates, eat fish that eat algae due to the fact that algae are directly inedible. 25% of daily intake should be from fats. This is difficult in the ocean due to the fact that fish are the only source of food, and they only contain one percent of fat. The other 15% of daily intake should be protein. Protein is easy to find because fish are made up of nearly all protein. Too much protein is bad though. Due to its complexity, proteins take nearly five times more energy to break down so the body can use. Hunger means that not enough fuel is being distributed by the food. Glucose burns easily. Blood resupplies glucose levels with the release of glucose levels. from the liver.

Adaptations

With steady fat and carbohydrate levels, the body takes steps decrease the rate of power consumption. Reaction times slow down because nothing that requires reaction has taken place for a while. The decreased production of cells that repair wounds takes place. The decreased production of sex hormones takes place due to the fact that that is not a priority Metabolic rate is decreased because the body doesn’t have to break down as much food, and it conserves energy. Due to lack of energy, protein can be burned for energy. Muscle is the first one to lose protein because of its abundance. At this point, the body starts to literally eat itself alive


Cannibalism and Mentality

It is the process of eating of the same species. It works against individuals but favors the survival of the groups. Fairness and morality which is in the cerebral cortex, is easily deactivated. As ethical standards drop, the cerebral cortex drops back to more primal instincts and less control over primitive urges. This is seen in the novel Lord of the Flies. It is imperative to have the WILL to live that will keep a stranded person alive.Hope alone has kept people alive for over a month when stranded out at sea.