We’ve probably all had this question at some point.
Drinking freshwater is obviously what we do regularly, but is saltwater safe to drink?
And you probably already know the answer: no.
But I wanted to break down WHY saltwater isn’t safe to drink, as well as explore some options for possibly making it safe to drink.
Because anyone could end up stranded on a beach or island somewhere and be tempted to drink saltwater.
Let’s dig in and find out why saltwater is bad for us and check out some pretty cool ways to make it drinkable.
Is saltwater safe to drink?
For those skimming the article who skipped the intro, no, saltwater is not safe to drink.
Saltwater, also called seawater, contains way too much salt than our body can process.
The salt content in seawater is roughly 3.5%, which is much higher than what our bodies process.
The effort needed to expel that salt content is greater than the benefit that drinking seawater provides.
According to NOAA, our bodies can’t even produce urine with a high enough salt content to properly expel seawater (source).
This means that you actually get MORE dehydrated from drinking it.
So even if you have no other option, resist the temptation and do not drink saltwater.
It will harm more than help!
What are the side effects of drinking saltwater?
We’ve already discussed that drinking saltwater causes dehydration, but are there any other side effects?
I went searching to find some commonly asked questions about the side effects of drinking saltwater and compiled the answers below.
Can drinking seawater cause insanity?
Another version of this question was ‘does drinking saltwater make you crazy?’
And the answer is yes…sometimes.
That’s because one of the possible side effects of drinking seawater is delirium.
This, of course, won’t happen if you just have a little bit.
But, ingesting enough saltwater without balancing out with freshwater can bring you to insanity.
Why does drinking seawater make you go ‘mad’ before you die from it?
When you drink seawater, you are ingesting more salt content than your body can handle.
And you are actually losing more water than you gain from drinking it.
Because of this, your body will try to compensate for the net loss of fluid by increasing your heart rate and constricting your blood vessels in order to maintain blood pressure and flow to vital organs (source).
In turn, this can cause you to feel weak, want to vomit, and even cause delirium.
If you continue to consume seawater you will eventually die.
What side effects can occur from drinking seawater?
Aside from delirium, you can also experience nausea and vomiting if you drink seawater.
This is more likely to happen on an empty stomach.
And then there’s the side effect of drying from dehydration if you drink too much of it!
Can you make saltwater drinkable?
So now that we know that saltwater in itself isn’t drinkable.
But, can you make saltwater drinkable?
Yes, through the process of desalination.
That’s just a fancy word for removing salt from saltwater, leaving behind clean drinking water.
Luckily, there are quite a few ways to do this that will work out in the wilderness.
So how can we turn saltwater into drinkable water?
How to make saltwater drinkable
There are two different ways to make saltwater drinkable that I want to review today: using a solar still and distillation.
Method #1: Using a solar still to turn saltwater into freshwater
A solar still harnesses the heat of the sun to evaporate water particles out of the saltwater mixture and capture it as it condenses.
You can make a solar still out of a variety of materials, but a tried and true setup contains:
- Saltwater
- A plastic sheet (clear works best. A tarp is also an option)
- A hole in the ground
- A container to catch water
- A rock or sand (for weighing down the plastic)
- Optional: vegetation to harvest extra water
To set up your still, first dig a hole that’s roughly 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet deep.
You’ll then want to dig a small hole in the center and place your water collection container inside of it.
If you have it available, grab some fresh vegetation and place it inside the hole all around your collection cup.
Make sure you don’t cover the cup!
Next, pour at least a gallon of seawater into the hole, being careful not to get any into the collection cup.
After that you’ll want to cover the hole with your piece of plastic, and place a layer of sand or rocks around the edge to secure it in place.
Finally, place a rock or other material in the center of the plastic to weigh it down.
That will create your collection point.
Throughout the day the sun will heat up your still, causing all of the moisture to start collecting on the plastic and funneling into your collection cup.
It’s best to build your solar still in the morning so that it will have the most amount of heat from the sun throughout the day.
For another cool way to build a solar still using just water bottles, check out the video below!
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Method #2: Boiling saltwater to make it drinkable
The next method is a little more complex, but will yield a good amount of freshwater as well.
It involves distilling saltwater through boiling it.
It essentially works the same way as the still, but you will be using a fire and creating a cooling tube to hopefully speed up the collection process.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A container that can handle the heat of a fire (around 1+ gallon capacity)
- A lid for the container to seal it
- Another container that will hold your cooling water
- A tube-like piece of material (bamboo or similar) that is roughly 2 feet long.
- Material (clay works great) to seal up any holes in your system
- A collection container for your freshwater
- A fire
This method is a bit tricky to explain, so I’ve found a great video showing how to create the distiller using clay and bamboo.
You can check it out below!
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What to do if you can’t or don’t want to convert seawater
Desalination methods that are available in the wilderness require a lot of energy and time.
If you don’t have either of those, converting saltwater to freshwater might not be an option.
Of course if you are stranded on a raft somewhere in the ocean that will be your only option.
But if you are on land and there is vegetation around, there’s gotta be water somewhere, right?
There are many signs that a water source may be nearby, you just have to know what to look for.
I wrote a whole article on how to find a water source in the wilderness.
Check it out if you want to learn how you can find drinkable water!
A couple of examples include following birds and/or animal tracks, finding old sea ice that has turned into freshwater, and harvesting water from rocks and trees.
If you can’t convert seawater into drinking water, finding another source of water in the wilderness will be your only way to survive.
A reminder: filter all water you get from natural means
Seawater can contain sand and shell particles when you collect it.
The sand and shells could contain harmful bacteria, making the seawater even worse to drink.
And if you’re collecting water from other means, you run the risk of ingesting bacteria as well.
For that reason, it’s always a great idea to filter or disinfect your water before ingesting.
That can be done by boiling the water or using a filtration system you bring with you.
Whichever way you decide, just make sure you filter the water!
Hopefully you won’t need this information
I hope you won’t ever need to use the information found in this article!
If you do get stranded near or on the sea, converting seawater to freshwater may be your only option.
Either way, always remember not to drink straight saltwater!
It will hurt much more than it will help.
If you need to, use a method to convert it to freshwater, or set out and find another source altogether.
Are there any tips or desalination methods I left out?
Let me know in the comments below!