How to Make Sea Water Potable

Learning how to make sea water potable is a crucial survival skill for anyone who plans on roughing it near a coastal area. According to ecofriend.org, 97.2 percent of the world's water is in the ocean system, and hence too salty for humans to drink. In most respects, sea water is safe to drink except for the salinity. Remove the extra salt, and you can survive off sea water for as long as you need to.

Things You'll Need

  • Campfire
  • Pots
  • Rocks
  • Sea water
  • Cloths
  • Cup
  • Bowl
  • Stick
  • Plastic wrap
  • Container
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Instructions

  1. Method 1

    • 1

      Build a fire. It should be compact, and just hot enough to boil a pot of water.

    • 2

      Build a structure to set your pot on above the fire. One method is to place large, flat rocks on either side of the fire so that you can balance your pot above the flames.

    • 3

      Fill a pot about 2/3 full with sea water. Tie a cloth taut around the top of the pot with a string tied in a slipknot. Make sure the cloth does not dip into the water and that the string does not dangle farther than half an inch below the rim of the pot.

    • 4

      Place the pot over the fire. As the water starts to boil, the steam will permeate the cloth, soaking it with fresh water.

    • 5

      Remove the pot from the fire. Remove the cloth and quickly place it in a second pot. Do not hold it for longer than you must, to prevent it from scalding you.

    • 6

      Tie a second cloth over the pot and place it over the fire. Wring out the first cloth into the second pot as soon as it cools enough to be easily handled.

    • 7

      Repeat steps 5 and 6 with the second cloth as soon as it is permeated with water.

    Method 2

    • 8

      Place seawater in a cup in the middle of a bowl. Place a stick in the bottom of the cup long enough to stick out at least 2 inches over the rim.

    • 9

      Place a layer of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl. It should form a dome, with the stick at the top. The plastic wrap should not adhere to the rim of the cup.

    • 10

      Place the dome in the sun. The sun will heat the bowl and cup, causing water to evaporate from the cup and condense on the plastic wrap. The water will then run down the plastic wrap and drip into the bowl.

    • 11

      Dump out the water in the cup when it is about 1/3 full. Dump the fresh water from the bowl into a separate container. Set up the dome again to desalinate more water.