I'm Bear Grylls.
And I'm gonna show you what it takes to get out alive
from some of the most dangerous places on earth.
I've gotta make it through a series of challenges
in the sort of places where you wouldn't last long
without the right survival skills.
This time, I'm being dropped into a group of islands,
part of the Malay Archipelago...
..setting up systems for survival in a region that contains
some of the most remote locations on the planet.
Scaling sheer cliff faces...
That's hard work.
..testing my hunting skills to trap wild animals...
..free diving to 30 feet in search of food...
Flippin' brilliant!
..to show you what it takes to survive.
I'm above the Celebes Sea,
a stretch of tropical water situated between Malaysia and Philippines.
Heading for a group of islands with almost no habitation on them.
Part of the biggest archipelago on earth.
The reef below me is part of the Coral Triangle
and it's absolutely vast.
It's almost the size of Australia.
I'm gonna show you how to stay alive on remote islands like these,
where so many castaways before me have failed.
- We need altitude. Take us up. - OK, let's go.
This will be the ultimate challenge.
OK, about 30 seconds.
We're at 10,000ft. This is one jump I've gotta get right.
OK, he's climbing out now.
Here goes.
I'm at terminal velocity, around 130 miles an hour.
What I'm looking for now
is a safe point of entry close to the island.
I can't land on the island - just trees and cliffs.
The beach is too narrow and the reef will cut me to shreds.
I'm heading for deep water.
I need to land this well.
It's difficult to judge distance with just ocean beneath me.
Ready for impact.
Gotta fly it all the way in.
Now to get clear of this rig and make for the shore.
It doesn't look very far from here.
But I've learnt from experience distances at sea can be deceptive.
What you think might only be half a mile
can often end up taking you ages.
Come on, you need to stick with me on this bit.
I've gotta watch myself on the coral reef.
One cut out here could spell bad news.
Steep-sided islands like this
are thought to be the remains of the cone of a volcano,
most of which has now been eroded away.
It's a remote and hostile environment
that has had little human interference.
There's nothing very beachy-coconut about this island.
Look.
Primary rainforest are hard places to survive.
Everything's just locked into a battle here,
a battle for light and for survival.
That's what makes them tough.
Let's head up first.
To understand what's available on the island,
you need to get a clear view.
And for that you need high ground.
Truly hellish terrain, all of this.
Everything's grabbing on to you, cutting and pulling you back.
I'll never get up this. Look.
That is all just so slippy.
This seems fine, though.
It goes all the way to the top,
but it's way too thin to be able to hold on to that.
These ones are a bit thicker.
These roots fan out from the trunk,
trying to get a purchase into the shallow soil.
And that is definitely gonna be strong enough for me.
OK, let's give this a go.
It's around four storeys to the top.
Once I've committed, there's no turning back.
The best technique is to use your legs to drive your body upwards.
Rely on just your arms
and you're gonna exhaust yourself so fast.
These sort of things, you've just gotta pace yourself.
Doing a climb like this is possible now,
but as your body weakens, with limited food and water,
it could soon become impossible.
Sorry, I can't talk at the moment.
But...got myself on this knee.
Try and get some blood and oxygen back in the lungs,
then work out the next stage.
Whoo...
No getting away from it.
It's hard work getting up that and it's a long way down that.
OK, I wanna get across to these thinner ones over here,
get up that way.
OK, get right up to me first. Come on.
Jam in there.
OK.
These thin vines feel strong enough to take my weight,
but they're much more difficult to climb,
especially as my arms feel like lead weights now.
Pretty darn awkward position.
We're up this bit.
Just gotta get to the top and then I can sort out my next move.
It's good now. It's good.
Feel a bit like I've done one of those military PT rope sessions.
Thing is you just can't see anything through all this canopy.
Let's keep moving on.
Let's see if we can get a view out from over there.
It's so humid under the canopy of the jungle here.
Working this hard can dehydrate you in less than 30 minutes.
This is the sort of leaf that would have water in it.
Look, it's clinging to the branch.
Any rainwater's gonna come down here and collect in there.
But not in that one.
The survivor needs to build a mental map of where they are,
detailing resources and layouts as you discover them.
This is more like it.
A proper view out over the jungle canopy.
Basically, you've got a big land mass over there,
steep banks on both sides,
and then dense jungle canopy as well down below.
The jungle's not the best place to spend the night.
The shoreline will be a safer place to camp.
Only when you've mapped the full extent of your island
can you understand what assets you have at your disposal.
Look, it's another little island over there.
If I lack resources here,
means I've got a backup plan over there.
For the time being, though,
we need to find out exactly what we've got on this island.
OK, come on.
Scavenging is a key element to survival,
and the shoreline is a great place to find materials.
So much in survival is just about seeing things differently.
A clam shell - great for collecting water when it rains.
Take that.
You may not need this stuff now...
Look, there's a bottle as well.
..but it might come in use later.
Look, even this sort of thing.
Not quite sure what I can do with that,
but I'll come back for that, even if it's only for firewood.
Successful survival involves four basic principles -
protection, systems to assist your rescue,
water and food.
Your first priority is shelter.
Good bit of beach there.
And, instinctively, that feels a nice place to make camp.
And actually, look, that's gonna be a great place for a signal fire.
Got really good, 180-degree views to try and spot any passing ships.
Devising a way of collecting fresh water is the next priority.
Looking for just signs of any seeps, trickles of rainwater.
It's dry now, but if it rains on the island,
it's likely to run down to the shore.
Also, look, the reef.
And that's gonna be my source of food.
But hunting at night is gonna require luck and ingenuity.
Look, it's a ray!
I've dropped into a remote archipelago of islands
off the coast of Malaysia.
Now I'm on the hunt for food and shelter before darkness falls.
And I'll be able to use this for a camp.
Build like a tree house across these two boughs.
Also, I've seen so much driftwood around,
gonna make building it quite easy.
Whatever we do, though, we need to do it fast.
At six o'clock on the equator, when that light goes,
it's like turning off a light switch.
Let's get some of the driftwood.
It's low tide now, but when it comes in,
the sea will be right under my shelter.
It's actually what the indigenous people do
on a lot of these islands around here.
They build their houses above the water.
This gives them cool winds to keep mosquitoes at bay
and direct access to fishing grounds.
OK, let's get up there and then drag the others up.
In the book 'Robinson Crusoe',
Crusoe spent his first night
sleeping in the boughs of a huge tree.
And this is just gonna give me a good base platform.
If it was good enough for Crusoe, then it's good enough for me.
That's probably enough, you know.
Easy as that. Good.
There are tons of climbing plants that you can use in the jungle,
which are long, strong and really flexible.
Just weave this rattan vine
over and under each of these poles
to hold it all in place.
It's not gonna come undone.
Platform built.
Now to sort out food before it gets too dark.
In the jungle, a torch will scare away any prey,
but in the sea, light will attract some fish in.
Building a fire over the water
could be your best chance of getting some supper.
But to catch a fish, I'm gonna need to make a spear.
Just weaving in a bit of vine just helps keep these prongs apart.
And four prongs gives me four times the killing area.
Spear done.
OK, let's get this lit.
A layer of sand on the platform
will stop the fire burning through my tripod.
There you go. That's all taking.
We'll let that build up and let the fire do the work.
Indigenous people hunt fish at night using lights on their boats.
I'm hoping my fire will have the same effect.
Fire's been burning for a while now.
It's just a question, really, of letting the fish come into it.
It's thought the light sparks a food chain by attracting plankton,
which draws in the small fish, who pull in the larger ones.
And it's the big fellas that I'm after.
They move fast, though.
It's kinda hard when it's quite wavy...
..just to tell what's shadow and what's...what's fish.
Just gotta be patient.
Hold on.
Gotta watch that.
I got him! One of the prongs...
Only one of the prongs has caught it.
It's a ray!
Let's get that back to camp.
Come on. Come on.
This makes the effort of building the fire so worthwhile.
It's a great catch. And the heart thumping.
It's a blue spotted stingray, this.
But it's got this venomous barb on its tail,
which you can just see there.
Really, to cook this, put it straight on the fire like that.
It's an amazing moment in your life when you realise
you're capable of hunting and catching your own food.
And I find it gives me a confidence.
Without your family and friends to give you support,
it's these small victories
that boost the survivor's morale and determination to carry on.
Very bony, but it's food.
And food for the survivor...
..is another day that you can stay alive.
But ahead of me lies the problem of finding fresh water
and with it brings a new set of challenges.
Straight down the hill.
I'm on a group of islands between the Philippines and Malaysia.
Look, there's another little island over there.
Successful island survival involves developing systems
for protection, water, food and rescue.
To improve your chances of rescue,
you need to let people know that you're here.
Yeah, that's great. Massive views out to sea in both directions.
Which makes this a perfect place to build a signal fire.
And what I want is dry, small twigs that's gonna go up fast.
This tripod will keep my fire off the ground
and the green foliage will help keep the tinder dry.
A couple of bits of polystyrene jammed into the top -
create masses of black smoke that you're gonna see for miles.
The vast majority of people who survive from desert islands do so
because they're spotted
rather than having made it out on a raft they've built.
And that's why a signal fire like that really is a top priority.
Water is my next concern.
One solution is to collect and store as much rainwater as possible.
There's masses of this driftwood bamboo around.
Split this, it's gonna act as like guttering for the rain to run off.
By building a roof to my shelter, I can use it to collect water,
and water here is everything.
They act like roof tiles.
The top edge sheds the water and the channel beneath collects it.
Got three-quarters of the roofing done.
Just use this old bit of broken-up boat
as the last bit.
Let's get the water sorted now.
Netting will just work as a bit of cordage
to tie up these bamboo ends
and that's what the water's gonna drip off the gutter - into those.
And then if you get a torrential downpour,
that's gonna fill up very fast,
and set a whole row of these along here.
But even in the wet season, you can't rely on it raining here.
It's only a consistent water supply
that can ensure your long-term survival.
There could be a fresh water spring on one of the neighbouring islands.
If there is, I'm gonna try and find it.
If I find a few of these, I can make a simple paddleboard.
The other island looks a mile or so offshore.
A small raft will help me get there.
Just tie the two middle ones together first.
That island's not far.
Definitely worth a paddle and a bit of an exploratory mission
to see if there's anything different over there.
OK, let's get paddling.
From a distance, all these islands look the same,
but, for the survivor, every expedition is an opportunity.
It's actually quite a strong current between these two islands.
I feel this is getting pushed.
I'm gonna have to steer into the current
to avoid being swept away from the island and into open water.
Come on, let's work hard. 10 minutes, we'll be there.
Let's get this up and leave this here
and go and see what we find on this island.
It's a steep climb, but getting to a high point is vital.
It allows you to understand the shape of the island.
You can see it very clearly drops off both sides.
There are clear signs of animals up here.
A game trail has been worn along the ridge.
Wildlife appear to be using this as their thoroughfare.
Actually, see their prints?
See that? Hoof mark.
And that gives me an idea.
This is how it works sometimes.
You're out looking for one thing
and then another opportunity presents itself.
You've got the island
and then you've got this clear top ridge...
..runs the whole length of it.
Maybe if I make,
like, a brushwood fence either side of it...
..like that,
it can act as a funnel.
And if I come round here steadily,
drive and herd any wildlife through a choke point,
and that's the place to set a trap.
OK, let's do it.
A survivor is an opportunist.
You need to keep your eye open for anything that can aid your survival.
As long as they're not frightened,
wildlife approaching a barrier will chose a path of least resistance.
You see this fence, both sides like an arrow,
just guiding any game...
..down to this killing zone.
I'm gonna build a traditional Malaysian trap
used by indigenous people to catch small mammals.
And this just loops under there and just slips into that.
And this rope I scavenged from the beach
will make the perfect noose.
OK, let's just trigger this to make sure it all works properly.
Stand back.
Animal comes along,
stands on the pressure plate...
Caught.
As a sign of respect,
indigenous people ask the spirits for permission
before they enter the jungle to hunt.
For me, a quiet moment will allow the jungle to settle,
which could increase my chance of success.
The idea is that we don't startle any animal.
We just wanna gently corral them along the island.
It's no surprise that animals are here.
Creatures have colonised many of these islands
by swimming between them.
Like me, they're in search of food and fresh water.
You know, sometimes, you just gotta stop and watch.
What you're looking for is small flickers of movement.
That's what gives game away.
Move back up, sweep the other side again.
Crisscrossing the ridge will drive wildlife towards my snare.
Look, straight down.
You rolling on this?
Look, straight down the hill.
See the back end of him, black back end?
It's a pig. See him?
OK, that's what we want
to keep moving up towards the ridgeline...
..towards our funnel. Come on.
Amongst the indigenous people of Borneo,
the bearded pig is a sought-after source of food,
and the rainforests and mangroves of South-East Asia
are perfect habitat.
See through the bush.
He's just moving along.
You can hear him moving pretty steadily.
He's not distressed, which is good.
OK, let's keep moving.
The thunder hasn't fazed him.
He's still moving towards the trap.
He's literally about four foot from the snare there.
He's frustratingly close, but there's nothing I can do.
Here comes the rain as well.
I've just gotta hold my nerve.
Go on. Go on.
Here we go, here we go.
We've got him.
I'm on a remote island off the coast of Malaysia
in pursuit of a wild pig that I'm driving towards a trap.
Look, look, look, look. Go on.
Go on. One step.
Go on.
We've got him.
Just got round the back trotter there.
Just let him settle for a second.
Stay there, stay there.
OK.
He's dead.
Straight through the heart behind the shoulder blade.
Survival's not pretty and this is something I do not enjoy,
but a big part of survival is food
and a lot of food on that that I can use.
Now to leave what I've called "pig island" and head back to base.
I'll be glad to see solid ground again.
Sharks can smell blood over a mile away.
When you're tired and in remote situations like this,
your fears can sometimes run away with you.
Always feel a little bit vulnerable swimming in the ocean
with a carcass that's dripping blood.
Made me work for it, this pig.
In these humid conditions, the carcass won't last long.
Before I butcher it, I'm gonna build a simple rack above a fire
and preserve the meat by drying it.
And then, really, we want this as embers.
OK, let's let that build up.
This pig will provide food for some time,
but nourishment isn't the only advantage to be gained
from a big kill like this.
And in the developed world, so much of an animal goes to waste,
but, in survival, you don't wanna waste anything.
There are around 60 feet of guts in a pig like this.
Once cleaned and dried, I can use it as cordage.
And, originally, this is what fishing wire
would've been made out of.
Very, very strong.
Animal stomachs have traditionally been used as water bottles,
which could be a lifesaver for anyone stuck out here.
Smells of vomit.
But once it's dried out,
that's gonna hold at least two pints of water in that.
Now that the fire is established,
I can start drying the meat by smoking it.
Bacteria needs moisture to survive.
This process will stop bacteria spreading
and create something similar to jerky.
That's not too hot. It's not gonna cook it.
But there's enough smoke and heat to dry that out.
And I just cover it.
Might take a couple of days, but once it's dried out and smoked,
that meat's gonna last for months.
But I'm not gonna preserve all of it. Some is for supper tonight.
As for me, it's not about this meal.
It's actually about what the pig can give me long-term.
By remembering that, I can get over
finding the actual kill itself so difficult.
Prime pig meat.
Actually, it doesn't taste that great.
But a full stomach puts fuel back in your tank
and can hopefully help you get a good night's sleep.
Whenever I've had to spend any length of time on own,
the thing that I've always struggled with the most
is just that lack of companionship.
And one way to get over that is just to keep relentlessly busy.
Protection, rescue, water, food.
And then do it again the next day.
Protection, rescue, water, food.
Oh, and also, being in this shelter,
you've gotta like the sound of the sea.
'Cause when the tide's in like this, it's crazy loud.
It's kinda hard to sleep.
But kinda cool as well.
But the survivor needs to keep busy
to increase both resources and morale.
Last night, I prayed for rain.
That's so good.
At times like this,
it really is just a spectacular place.
As a castaway, this reminds me how reliant you are on nature.
It's just been so sticky, humid.
You know, when it's like this, for me, this is my heaven time.
Oh.
This will quench your immediate thirst,
but rain is unpredictable, even in the wet season.
Whilst I'm preserving the pig meat,
there are further opportunities to be had fishing on the reef.
Cut the rest of that off.
But if I'm to stand a chance of catching anything,
I'm gonna need to be able to see under water.
And then what I'm left with
is an eyepiece and then like an aperture.
Look through that, through the water...
..and see what's moving under the surface.
It's simple, but improvised out of just what I've found.
Kinda see the line of the reef all the way round the island.
It's that pale colour about a couple of hundred feet out.
And that's where I'm gonna go and try and get something.
2 million square miles of what is supposed to be
the richest marine environment on the planet
looks a little sparse from here.
But many fishermen believe that cloud cover
increases your chance of success
as nocturnal feeders are encouraged to forage during the day.
It's probably a good place to start diving here.
About 20 foot of water just on the edge of the reef.
OK, let's use this, have a look under there.
Actually got really good visibility with this.
Lots of little anchovies down on the reef.
Here, have a look at that.
What this does, it just breaks the surface tension
and gives me a window to what's down there.
Now I know this is a good location, I've gotta get myself ready to dive.
So much of the skill of being able to hold your breath under water
is actually about the mental game.
If I can get my body into a meditative state,
everything begins to slow down
and I can use my oxygen more efficiently.
This rock will save me both time and energy
getting down to the seabed.
The indigenous people rely on the reef so much
that they train themselves to be expert free divers,
learning to hold their breath for up to five minutes at a time.
They can dive to depths of 40 feet,
foraging and spearing fish on the ocean floor.
Whoo.
It's just amazing down there.
So much going on in that reef.
This rock's helping me loads.
OK, let's go again. Come on.
Coral is made up of millions of tiny animals called 'polyps'.
Collectively, they form the skeleton of the reef.
Over 2,000 species of fish share this reef,
some feeding off the coral
or using it as protection for other fish.
I thought I saw some little antenna of a crayfish
poking out from the coral.
Try and see if I can see it from up here, though.
Try keep my eye on him and get him out.
I'm beginning to hold my breath for much longer now.
The crayfish has wedged itself under some rocks,
which could make it really hard for me to get him out.
This fella's not giving up without a fight.
With incredible speed, it tail-flips away.
Swimming backwards crayfish can keep their eyes locked on their enemy.
Whoo.
I had him.
Broke one of the prongs.
And, literally, just went like lightning
straight past my head and gone.
Oh, so close.
Running out of puff.
My eyes are really starting to sting now.
But after all this effort, I'm not gonna let this meal get away.
A crayfish like this would be quite a prize,
but with one prong down and burning lungs,
I'm finding it hard to make any impression on his armour plating.
But, as with most things, perseverance brings its rewards.
One crayfish.
Absolutely flippin' brilliant!
Let's get him back to shore before he escapes out of these prongs.
I love crayfish.
After so much time under water,
I can't wait to tuck into one of my favourite seafood dishes.
It's hard work, the free diving, but it's also really fun.
I love that sort of thing.
I do so much of it back home with my kids -
having competitions who can hold their breath
for the longest under water.
I constantly have to remind myself of my family and my friends.
It's this hope that gets the survivor through each and every day.
OK, should be ready.
Look at that, it's a whole tail.
Power, muscle and great energy.
Meals in the wild don't come much better than this.
Energy-giving and tastes great too.
Happy Bear face.
On remote islands, you can't rely on rainwater alone for your survival.
What you need is to find a consistent supply of fresh water.
All you gotta do is track it down.
Can't drink that.
I'm on an archipelago that contains
some of the most remote islands on the planet.
I've built a shelter...
..put systems in place for rescue...
..been hunting for food both above and beneath the water.
Now I'm heading back to what I've called "pig island"
in search of a fresh water source.
The fact that there are animals on this island
means that there must be a supply of fresh water somewhere.
All you gotta do is find it.
We're at a swamp, look.
I can't drink that.
It's brackish.
Mix of salt water and all the rain coming down.
Whether it's from a spring or from rain,
there is fresh water coming into this swamp from somewhere.
Oh, ugh.
The whole place just stinks.
Water runs one-way - downhill.
If it's spring water,
you can work backwards and find its source.
The story of 'Robinson Crusoe'
was based upon real-life sailor Alexander Selkirk.
The reason Selkirk survived for five years on a desert island
was that he had an abundant supply of fresh water.
To exist here long-term, fresh water is everything.
Must be getting quite near the high point here.
But there's no sign of water yet.
Roots cling to the rock face, stretching out from the tree,
as they, too, search for water.
These ones are good.
The benefit of climbing a lattice of vines is that,
if one snaps, the others will arrest your fall.
Yeah, it's looking good.
Go on, then.
The main structural material in these roots
has a similar tensile strength to some steel.
Now, that's the sort of view I've been after.
Nearing the top of the island, the canopy opens up...
Let's keep moving on.
..which makes covering ground much easier.
Dry riverbed, look.
The stream here is empty and must only flow when it rains.
It's much clearer here, open to the skies.
That's why all this mud is so wet.
Keep following this down.
Whole pools of water here!
And another one.
It's like the whole top of the mountain here
is a giant water catchment area.
It's the same principle as the roof to my shelter,
only a thousand times larger.
The dry river bed is a funnel, and this is where it's collecting.
Hold on.
Above the noise of the jungle, I can suddenly hear sound of an engine.
At sea, sound can travel an incredible distance.
I can't see it, but I can most definitely hear it.
It might sound close, but it could be miles offshore.
If that's a boat, that means your priorities have gotta change.
That water's not gonna go anywhere, but the boat is gonna keep moving.
Of people reported lost in the wild, under 20% find their own way out.
The vast majority survive by being rescued.
No doubting what that is.
It's a fishing boat anchored offshore.
Sometimes, the decision
whether to stay or go
is a hard one for the survivor,
but sometimes it's made easy.
OK, let's get outta here.
Remote islands like this are hard,
but with the challenges
come the rewards.
Over here!
This adventure has forced me
to think smart
and be resourceful,
but that's survival for you.
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