What would you take to a deserted Island?
The Line Islands
Well, not really a deserted island, but a 30 days diving expedition to the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no land on sight. Except to tiny little uninhabited islands…
Luckily, I was fortunate enough to collaborate with a more experienced expeditioner. Here is the checklist he sent me to start off with:
Comfort/Cabin:
- Your own blanket/pillow
- Something that reminds you of home
- Headlamp for rummaging around in the dark cabin
- Earplugs (people snore, cranes whine in the night)
- Bring all your stuff in a duffle bag instead of a suitcase so it can pack down in your locker smaller, giving you more room
- Anything you feel makes a shared men’s bathroom more civilized (air freshener is a big hit)
- Soap
- Loofa
- Toothbrush, etc.
Entertainment:
- an external hard drive full of movies
- a kindle
- Computer games
- Musical instrument
- Headphones
- Ipod, etc.
Food:
- Your favourite beverage (obviously no alcohol, but tea, mate, infusions; peppermint and ginger teas are good for your stomach)
- Your favourtie hot sauce (on cruises, the food tends to be pretty bland, so as a California resident, I need to take my hot sauces with me everywhere!)
- Something that is not fresh that tastes fresh (e.g. sauerkraut, dried mangoes, dried apricots, etc.)
- There is a ship’s store which sells things people tend to want; chocolates, soap, hats, shirts, razors, sunburn cream, etc.
Medicines:
- Tape to strap any hurt joints
- Sunburn cream you like
- Sunscreen !!! (like the titanium- and zinc-oxide based ones)
- Superglue to glue shut any cuts
- Vasoline to seal any cuts from seawater exposure (to prevent sea ulcers)
- Painkillers
- Muscle relaxants
- Sea sick meds
Diving
- Regs
- Dive computer
- BCD
- Knife
- Safety sausage
- Weights belt
- Paste or vitamin E oil if you have a beard so your mask seals
- a couple of masks
- a couple of pairs of fins
- a couple of wetsuits
- a couple sun shirt
- a couple of hats
- a felt beret - I wear this underwater for style and warmth :D
Clothes:
- Your everyday clothes
- Comfy hoodie, track pants etc (the ship’s store often sells hoodies and always has shirts)
- a raincoat (especially one that can break the wind)
- an old wool sweater
- Running shoes
- Closed toed shoes that can get wet (to wear on weather decks and on the small boat) - do not bring crocs!!
- Shoes you can stand in forever in the lab
- a laundry bag if you wish to be fancy
Other
- a sewing kit and a range of batteries.
- It also seems like a good idea to have some exposure-safe clothes (and some protein bars or jerky bars!!) stuffed in your mustang suit bag in case the ship goes down (an extra hat, a long-sleeved shirt); if the ship encounters trouble, it could be a very long time before help arrives.
Everything is packed and ready to go!
Written on February 14, 2015