Finding and Procuring Water

If you are forced into a survival situation, finding and procuring water will be one of your top priorities, especially if you happed to be in hot, arid environments because you lose so much of your body's moisture due to sweating. Even in cold areas, your body requires at least 2 quarts of water a day.

More than 75% of your body is made of fluids. The more you exert your body and expose yourself to heat, cold, and stress, the more fluids you will lose. This is why finding a good source of water should be one of your first objectives.

Finding Water

Just about any environment has water present to some degree. The folowing is a list of possible places to find water in certain environments.

Cold Environments - In cold, frozen areas you can obtain water from snow or ice. however, you must be sure and always melt the ice or snow before drinking it. Do not eat ice or snow. Doing so will lower your internal body temperature to dangerous levels, considering your environment. Also, ice and snow is only as clean as it's source. You may need to purify it before drinking. Lastly, remember that sea ice is gray and must be desalted before use. Ice with a blue-ish should have little salt in it.

At Sea - When at sea, you can get your water from rain (catch in tarps or containers), sea ice, and the sea itself. However, you must always desalt sea ice and sea water before drinking with a desalting kit. Never drink sea water before desalting and purifying...doing so will dehydrate your body and can be fatal. Again, never drink sea water without desalting it.

If you do not have a desalting kit, you can separate the salt from the water by boiling the sea water, and allowing the steam to condense and be collected in a seperate container. It its simplest form, this can be done by heating rocks on a fire, pouring sea water on the hot rocks, and catching the steam on some cloth. Wring out the damp cloth into a container.

On a beach - If stranded on a beach, your can get water from the ground. Simply dig a hole deep enough so that water seeps inside the hole. Find some rocks (that will fit in the hole) and build a fire. Heat up your rocks with the fire and then drop them into your hole. Hold a cloth over the hole so to catch the rising steam. Wring the water out of the cloth. You can perform this method without digging a hole in the ground if you have any sort of container that will hold seawater.

In a desert - In arid areas of the world, you can usually find water in the ground, cacti (mostly in American deserts), depressions or holes in rocks, or condensation on metalic surfaces. To get water from the ground, dig a hole deep enough for water to seep in. To extract water from a barrel cactus, cut off the top and mash or squeeze the pulp. Do not eat the pulp, but you may place the pulp in your mouth to suck out the juice. Porous rocks may hold water after a rain. Moisture tends to condensate on metalic surfaces due to the wide variation of temperature between night and day.

In desert areas, there are several signs to look for to find water. For example, all trails lead to water. Trails can be marked by camp remains, animal tracks, and animal droppings. Also, birds tend to circle over water holes. They also tend to fly to watering holes at dawn and sunset with their flight patterns becoming low and swift. Hearing birds chirping in the early morning or evening hours can sometimes indicate that a source of water is nearby.

Bad Substitutes for Water

The following should never be substituted for water.

• Alcoholic beverages - alcohol dehydrates your body and impairs your judgement.
• Urine - unine contians harmful wastes and is about 2% salt.
• Blood - blood is salty and should be considered a food, which requires additionaly water to digest.
• Sea Water - sea water is about 4% salt. It takes roughly 2 quarts of body fluids to rid your body of 1 quart of waste from sea water. Drinking sea water will only dehydrate your body, which can lead to death.

More ways to find water

• - Heavy dew can be a source of water. Tie rags or fine grass around your ankles and walk through thick grassy areas before sunrise. Wring out the rags as they collect water. Natives have been known to obtain as much as a quart an hour this way.
• - Bee or ants going into a hole in a tree can be a sign that there is water inside the hole. Siphon the water, scoop it out with a 'dipper', or soak it up in a wrag.
• - Green bamboo is a good source of water. Bend over a stalk and tie it down. Cut off the top of the stalk and water will drip freely during the night
• - Banana or plantain trees can be a good source of water. Cut off the tree but leave about a 1 foot stump. Carve out a bowl shape in the stump. The roots will fill up the 'bowl' you made for nearly four days. The first few filling may be bitter, but will become palatable. Cover to keep insects out.
• - Some tropical vines can provide water. Cut a notch in the vine as high as you can reach. Cut off the bottom of the vine near the ground and collect the liquid in a container or your mouth. Do NOT drink the liquid if it is sticky, milky, or bitter.
• - Milk from green cocnuts are good for thirst. Milk from mature coconuts can act as a laxative if too much is consumed.
• - You can sometimes suck out the water from plant roots. Dig up the roots, cut them into small peices and remove the bark.