Flash floods are so-called because they can happen literally in minutes, both out in the wild and also in urban environments. Causes include heavy rain, natural phenomena like earthquakes or from the build-up of water in lakes and rivers, which then overflow. They happen frequently and they kill regularly, so it’s good to know how [...]
Being a castaway at sea might sound like something from an epic novel like Robinson Crusoe, but being surrounded by open ocean is very scary and sometimes people find themselves adrift and lost, even on a short voyage. “If I had any idea of how frightened all of us would be at stages, I would [...]
While adventuring, preserving food like meat or fish properly is key, both to avoid wasting it and to make sure that you don’t make yourself sick. “Once a piece of meat or fish has turned rancid, you’ll do yourself more harm than good eating it,” says Bear in How to Stay Alive. “But if you [...]
Bear Grylls has lit enough fires in the wilderness to know exactly how to put one out—and what to do if a fire gets out of hand. How to fully put out a campfire Even if your campfire was small, if it’s not properly extinguished, it could lead to a potentially hazardous forest fire. When [...]
Bear Grylls has survived some of the planet’s most extreme temperatures and he doesn’t shy away from icy situations—just recently, he was immersing himself in the waters of a frozen lake in Wyoming while on location for Running Wild. In order to survive in these temperatures, Bear knows how to recognize and deal with hypothermia [...]
Climbing up a rock face without rope is dangerous, difficult and there is no room for error. But if it’s a life or death situation and you can’t get around the rock face, Bear Grylls has some guidance. Plan your route It is vital to do this before you start climbing. Professional climbers spend a [...]
If you end up lost in the jungle, the good news is that you are surrounded by potential sources of food. Although we’ve all seen Bear eating things like rodents and birds in his TV shows like Running Wild and Man Vs. Wild, he says that hunting things like birds, rodents and monkeys should not [...]
Quicksand can be found anywhere that water and sand meet—by the sea, along river banks, near lakes and marshes. It’s composed of loose sand that’s fully saturated and therefore suspended in water. So when something heavier—like your body—displaces it, it can create a suction and the heavier thing (you) will begin to sink. The good [...]
If you’re ever lost in the wilderness and you think that people are looking for you, the internationally recognized distress signal is three small fires, lit in a triangular formation, which can be spotted from above by rescue craft. On the other hand, if no one knows where you are or you can’t find a [...]
If you’re lost in the jungle your first priority after assessing rescue options and making a shelter should be to find drinkable water, as you can only survive for around three days without it. “Your problem in the jungle will not so much be finding water, as getting it in a form that’s useful to [...]
