WITH just two knives for cutting and a baby pig for company, Xavier Rosset sat solo on an uninhabited Pacific island for 300 lonely days.
But unlike Robinson Crusoe, the young Swiss adventurer made a choice to isolate himself totally, surviving on food and shelter got by his own hand to challenge the modern way of life.
“It was hard, yes, very hard,” Mr Rosset said, freshly arrived back in Europe after ending his 10-month stint in Tonga.
His island of choice was Tofua, a 64-square-kilometre volcanic isle home to nothing except “some pigs, lots of coconuts, a lake and tropical forest”.
His luggage consisted of just a Swiss army knife, machete and a video camera to record his adventure for a documentary to be aired later this year.
The mission was to try to relearn the natural survival skills which urban men have long forgotten, but Mr Rosset said it was far from easy.
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“At the beginning I had to try hard to survive,” the former professional snowboarder said.
“I had to find the food and water, build shelter, learn how to fish, everything.”
Last September, just 10 days in, he had a realisation that he was all alone and would be for many months to come.
“That was very hard, without my family, my girlfriend, my friends. There was a lot of loneliness.”
But he was kept busy just trying to survive.
Over the next two months he lost nearly all the 18kg of body fat he had stockpiled before starting his adventure.
He wasn’t able to hold his weight steady until he discovered how to trap and kill wild pigs, in the process making his only “friend”, a tiny piglet.
“I couldn’t eat it because there wasn’t enough meat so I took it with me and she stayed with me for three months,” he said.
“She was exactly like a dog. She was a very good friend for me but I didn’t talk to her like (Tom Hanks) talked to the volleyball in the movie Castaway.”
It wasn’t until eight months into the stay that Mr Rosset says he felt at peace on the island.
In a blog recording from this time, the explorer said: “I’m spending the most part of the day doing nothing, looking at the big ocean or the butterfly who has come to say hello to me.”
“I even have enough food. I can say now and now only that I am feeling (at) home.”
Being truly home in Switzerland has been the biggest high however, and there’s no plan to go bush again anytime soon.
[via Daily Telegraph]
Would love to read a book by this guy. Pretty cool story. Thanks for sharing it.
The coolest thing about this story is the lack of survival equipment he took with him. I assume he must have researched the island to have some idea of where he could find food, water, and shelter in a short amount of time. Even so, it would be difficult surviving even when taking more gear initially like a longer knife (to use as a spearhead), at least 72 hours worth of water and food, basic hygiene and sanitation supplies, or a sleeping bag and small tent. Please update with a link to his video when it becomes available.
title, knife and pig. subtitle, two knifes,pig. body, Swiss army knife, machete and a video camera. when in reality there were people comming and going from the island the whole time he was there. The locals farm on the island and tourists go sight seeing to the island. cmon now. what a joke.
were can i find this video?
Tofua has about 50 residents. This is another case of someone trying to make money at the expense of honesty and ethics. Fortune and fame through fraud. I'm sure if Mr. Rosset had not lied by misrepresenting the indigenous population and occasional off island visitors, his "Alone With a Pig On a Deserted Island" documentary would have been a much harder sell. Any company that may have been duped into paying him for his harrowing story of heartache, solitude and survival should bring lawsuit against him for full reimbursement. Switzerland would be doing its gene pool right by having him promptly deported to a real deserted island. If that pig was a female, Xavier may want to keep it handy, or at least have its nuber on speed dial.
Considering the large holes in this story, a better title may have been "Swiss Cheese."