Knowing the different ways to send SOS in the wilderness beforehand can come in handy when you’re stranded on an island after a shipwreck, or say after missing your trail on a hiking trip. I do not wish you hard luck, just pointing out that several situations may warrant the use of certain signals to seek for help.
Because, while I agree that you may be prepped enough to survive whatever situation, I feel that no one wants to spend his whole days in the wilderness with just the trees, hammock, wild animals, dandelions, and wild roots. Every one of us wants to return home, which may be impossible without help in some circumstances.
Best 5 Ways To Send SOS In The Wilderness
Sending SOS in the wilderness has become easier with the introduction of technology, with different tools now available to request immediate help. However, these gadgets can’t rule out the importance of the past, traditional strategies.
This is because, although the newer techniques may be faster, they can break down sometimes, which is what will never happen with the older styles. And when your life is concerned, I’m sure you don’t want to rely on a tool that may fail.
Thus, we’ll look at five strategies which you can call for help in the wild, some of which will be the high-end, speedy but not-very-reliable modern ways and the perhaps slower, more tasking but always reliable methods.
Here we go.
Cell Phone or PLB (Personal Locator Beach)
Everyone surely thinks of this, isn’t it? It’s your typical reaction to reach your pockets for your cell phone as soon as you hit a dead end on a route you thought you knew and can’t find a way out of. This is understandable since your mobile phone can connect you with virtually any location. You do not even need to have call credit or signal; there’s the emergency call feature on most modern phones that connects you with the state emergency service as well as trusted, preset contacts.
However, your mobile phone can fail you. It can run out of battery or may have come in contact with water when you were swimming your way out of a shipwreck. It may also amaze you, but there are some locations from which you can’t ever make a call. So, now what?
Signal Fire
Your next best option is a signal fire in the absence or failure of a phone or PLB. There are several documented cases of stranded campers that a signal fire worked for, and you aren’t any different. Your signal fire is a visual signal for whoever may be looking, and even who isn’t. Think of it, wouldn’t the attention of a sailor be captured if he sees smoke coming out of the wild? Since when have animals started making fires?
Anyway, before cooking a signal fire, realize that there’s a dangerously slippery line between control & danger. Your signal fire can be devastating, so you have to be careful when building a big one, which is what you must build. Use green leaves for your signal fire as they cause thicker and more smoke, and also, build your fire in the most visible spot around you. Lastly, and most importantly, start a fire in a place where it won’t go rogue; a wildfire is amazingly easy to start.
Whistleblowing
Your whistle is more or less the gunshot that signals the start of the 400m race. It will surely capture the attention of those who may be around. Three shrill blows of a whistle are globally recognized as a call for help, like a war cry.
When picking whistles, however, choose brightly colored options that you can easily find if it drops. For more security, choose a whistle that’s attached to a ring, lanyard, or clip. And if you’re in winter, it is best to go for a whistle with no moving part in it. The cold can cause your spit to freeze the dancing ball inside the whistle, therefore rendering it useless for some time. When you visit the Badlands with your kids, make sure each of them has a whistle on his neck.
By the way, a major downside to whistling is that it is short-range and can cause your jaws to ache when you blow repeatedly.
Signal Mirror
Although non-electronic, a signal mirror is impressively far-reaching. If correctly aimed, the beam or a signal mirror can go as far as 10 miles, creating a distinct ray of daylight that is enough to capture the attention of pedestrians, vehicles, watercraft, and even aircraft within that distance.
A signal mirror requires practice, however. So, you should have practiced with a friend in a large field before you hit the wild. Know that the lens of a signal mirror is different from what you have in the ordinary mirror, so know what you’re buying.
However, even if what you have is the ordinary, everyday mirror, here’s what to do: position the mirror below your eyes and then directs its beam to the tip of a finger, after which you place that finger under your target, then start moving the mirror up & down and left & right of your target (your eyes). This will not work as a signal mirror but is quite useful nonetheless.
Flares
Flares are visual signals that can also reach very far. Ideally, the best time to use them is at nighttime when the wild is expected to be dark and asleep. You can be sure that a bright splattering of light is enough to pass the message that you’re there. For better use, tie the end of your flare to a pole and hold above you as it burns. That will reach farther away.
Concluding The Ways To Send SOS In The Wilderness
There are many other ways to send SOS in the wilderness, such as waving a flag, marking huge “SOS” letters on the sand (if you’re on an island), using a survey tape, and making your whistle from a hollow hardwood. So, you see, help is bound to come sooner or later if you know what you’re doing. But what matters most is to keep being hopeful and committed. Don’t stop sending the signals for any reason.