What Lies Beneath | Primal Survivor

Oh my God, it is a blue ringed octopus! See those beautiful blue circles? Those aren't to make it look pretty; that's warning coloration. Believe it or not, this tiny little creature is one of the most venomous marine animals in the entire world. The blue ringed octopus has venom a thousand times more toxic than cyanide, and there's no known cure. If I was bit by this little guy, I could suffer from paralysis and heart attack, and I could die within minutes.

Time to quit while I'm ahead and push on, but the weather suddenly has other ideas. A little mini cloud burst just passed by, and within only about a minute and a half, it filled up my boat. I hate to see what happens if a big huge storm came by. This rainwater is mixing with seawater that's seeping in my boat, so it's not for drinking.

The dual threat of storms and leaks has got me thinking. Faced with two routes around this island, I've decided to take the less exposed channel that I know will be shallow, but which turns out to be harder going than I'd expected. The shoreline here is thick with mangrove trees and shrubs that grow in saltwater sediment. These inhospitable swamps can be home to crocodiles and sea snakes, but also to useful edible species.

This feels like some sort of weird prehistoric world. It's really hard to walk because of the mucky bottom, and then it's got these mangrove roots that are just shooting straight up into the air. It's a weird place.