10 INCREDIBLE REAL LIFE CASTAWAY STORIES TOP

Discover the top 10 real-life castaway survival stories, featuring incredible tales of courage, resilience, and survival against all odds—from JFK to forgotten explorers.

1. Juana Maria, The Lone Woman of San Nicolas (?-1853)

Survived: 18 years on San Nicolas Island
Left behind during an evacuation, Juana Maria lived alone on a remote island for nearly two decades. She made clothes from bird skins and lived in a whale-bone shelter.
Interesting Fact: Her story inspired the famous book Island of the Blue Dolphins.

2. Jan Pelgrom and Wouter Loos (c. 1611–?)

Survived: Unknown time on mainland Australia
Exiled for mutiny, they were left on the Australian mainland. They were never seen again but may have integrated with Aboriginal communities.
Interesting Fact: Some Aboriginals were later reported with blue eyes, suggesting one may have survived.

3. John Adams and the Bounty Mutineers (1768–1829)

Survived: On the Pitcairn Islands
After the Bounty mutiny, Adams and other survivors formed a community with Tahitian men and women. Despite early chaos, Adams created a peaceful Christian society.
Interesting Fact: Pitcairn’s capital is named Adamstown in his honor.

4. Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922)

Survived: 105 days on Elephant Island
Shackleton led a legendary rescue after his ship was crushed by ice in Antarctica. He sailed 800 miles and crossed deadly mountains to save his crew.
Interesting Fact: All 28 men from the expedition survived.

5. Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721)

Survived: 4 years and 4 months on Más a Tierra Island
Voluntarily marooned, Selkirk survived alone on a remote island with basic tools. His story inspired Robinson Crusoe.
Interesting Fact: His island was later renamed Robinson Crusoe Island.

6. Ada Blackjack (1898–1983)

Survived: 2 years on Wrangel Island
Hired as a seamstress, Ada survived an Arctic expedition that went wrong. She cared for a sick man and outlived all other team members.
Interesting Fact: She earned little despite her inspiring story being published widely.

7. Captain Charles Barnard and Party (1781–1840)

Survived: 18 months on Eagle Island
After helping shipwreck survivors, Barnard was betrayed and abandoned. He and his small group survived alone for over a year before rescue.
Interesting Fact: He later wrote a memoir titled Marooned.

8. Marguerite de La Rocque (c. 1523–?)

Survived: 2 years on Isle of Demons
Punished for an affair, Marguerite was left on an island with her lover and maid — both died, but she survived by hunting wild animals.
Interesting Fact: She became famous in France after her rescue.

9. Leendert Hasenbosch (c. 1695–1725)

Survived: About 6 months on Ascension Island
Exiled for sodomy, Hasenbosch lived on birds and sea turtles, even drinking his own urine. He eventually died in despair.
Interesting Fact: His diary was found and later published.

10. John F. Kennedy and Crew (1917–1963)

Survived: 6 days on Plum Pudding and Olasana Islands
During WWII, JFK’s patrol boat was destroyed. He led his surviving crew to safety through shark-infested waters, surviving on coconuts until rescued.
Interesting Fact: The island they landed on is now called Kennedy Island.