pristine as it was a 1,000 years ago. There is no fresh water, no power, no infrastructure of any kind. With the right equipment and a bit of ingenuity a person can survive and prosper.

Adventure lovers and survival enthusiasts, scuba divers and drone pilots, world travelers and nature photographers, you’ve come to the right spot! The 30-Day Survival Challenge takes place on a small remote island in French Polynesia. This stunningly beautiful setting poses some real challenges to human survival.

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The six pillars of survival are: Food, water, shelter, security, communication and health.

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Water

It is ironic that on an island surrounded by water, there is not a drop of freshwater to drink. If you drink salt water you will eventually die from dehydration. Finding drinkable water will be the most critical and immediate challenge to survival. The human body can survive for weeks without food but only a few days without water. Our goal is simple, get potable water or die. Can we turn the abundant salt water into fresh drinking water? Perhaps with a bit of creative ingenuity we can.

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Food

For countless generations our ancestors survived from the rich bounty of food from the sea. These skills were honed over many generations and passed down from parent to child for thousands of years. Today we go to the grocery store or a restaurant if we are hungry. How many of these ancestral skills do we still have? The ocean has an abundance of life-giving nutrition, can we harvest it?

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Shelter

Our tropical paradise is a very sunny place. Too much sun is No Bueno. Bushcraft skills will be employed to create shelter for shade and a habitat for protection from the elements. Palm trees provide an abundance of building materials for constructing shelter.

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Security

A lone snorkeler hunting for fish is a predator, an unwary predator can become the prey. Sharks are plentiful in these waters. Being alert and in the moment is essential for survival. Machete, hatchet and survival shovel are tools for shelter building and food harvesting but they can also double as weapons for protection if needed. 

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Communication

What if there is an emergency and you need to connect with the outside world?   No cell signal! Not to worry, there is an answer. A device called Zoleo provides the solution. This small palm sized device interfaces with your smart phone to allow you to send messages from anywhere on planet earth. Zoleo uses the Iridium satellite system, or cellular or WiFi to send messages. You can get weather reports, or send your GPS coordinates.  You can press the "check in" button to say "I'm OK" or the "SOS" button to say I need help. When you are alone in the wilderness unexpected things happen, be smart, be prepared, communicate using Zoleo.

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Health

Proper amounts of hydration and nutrition are essential to clear thinking. Cuts, sprains, and infections in the wild can be catastrophic. There are no hospitals near by. You must be careful and observant to avoid injury.