Unless theyre afraid of sharks or danerous animals in the water or something...why dont they jsut try to swim? I mean what could it hurt? If they stay theyre for all they know theyre dead anyway. And it isnt impossible to swim a couple of miles. olympic swimmers do it all the time.

they dont have to swim straight, they could swim for a bit...take a break and float, then swim some more, take another break and rest. it would take them a coupel hours no doubt at least but still...its better than giving up!

Indeed. Hell, we even saw that the two are excellent swimmers in Whatever the Case May Be.

Instead, they give up and choose to stay in the cage.... what the hell? Why? I would have run off and tried to steal a boat... anything... agh. Giving up is for chumps.... especially when Sir Pickett has it in for you.

We know there is at least one shark out there. Also, oceans do have currents and without knowing how strong or which way they flow, they could easily get washed out to sea.

I also don't recall any of them mentioning they are Olympic swimmers. Swimming a distance like that in unknow waters would be very dangerous and probably fatal for people who haven't ever done it before. that kind of distance takes practice. With the ocean water moving, floating could get them washed away as well.

Better to look for the boats the Others use.

Well, Sawyer did have an encounter with the Dharma shark, maybe thats why he doesn't want to venture back in that ocean anytime soon. Who know what freakish giant ocean beasts were released back into those waters:eek2:

But Sawyer also knows that the currents surrounding the island will pull you back to the island...that's how him and Micheal got back to the island in season 2...so why not just cut down some bamboo and float away...

But Sawyer also knows that the currents surrounding the island will pull you back to the island...that's how him and Micheal got back to the island in season 2...so why not just cut down some bamboo and float away...
in an hour. with no saw. sure.

And it isnt impossible to swim a couple of miles. olympic swimmers do it all the time.


Do I need to state the obvious here? Sawyer/Jack/Kate may have great bods, but I don't think they're Olympic caliber athletes. That's several miles of OCEAN swimming there, probably impossible for 99.9% of the population.

And then, of course, sharks. It didn't take long for one to find the rafties.

Hello?! Remember what happened to Joanna in Season one when she went for a swim?!!

Swimming? BAD IDEA!!!

I'll take my chances on Psycho Island before I try swimming a few miles in unknown waters. (I actually can't swim, but even if I could, I still wouldn't try it!) The chances of them becoming too exhausted, cramping, etc. and drowning are much higher, I think, that their chances of the Others actually making good on their threats to kill them.

hmm... sawyer says it is 2 to 3 miles away.... and yet you still ask why can't they swim?

This may be off the beaten path, but maybe Sawyer is concerned about the 'shrinkage' factor. Can't look too manly for Kate after wallowing about in cold waters for a few miles.... :D

i think the distance was well over estimated. in ep 4, it seemed to be maybe a mile away at the most.

and they could just get some wood and try to float on it too if they wanna go with the current plan. even just a big log, sitting on it, with a stick for a paddle. (they could manage that in an hour)

and sides....sawyer jack and sayid all swam out to desmonds boat in last season finalle none of them drowend. and they all did it pretty fast.

Do I need to state the obvious here? Sawyer/Jack/Kate may have great bods, but I don't think they're Olympic caliber athletes. That's several miles of OCEAN swimming there, probably impossible for 99.9% of the population.

And then, of course, sharks. It didn't take long for one to find the rafties.
True that. And even Olympic swimmers don't do this kind of swimming. They're a bit too pampered for that, in my opinion. But I do know other long-distance swimmers, one who swam the English Channel and one who swims regularly in SF Bay, and others who do triathlons. It's really different swimming and requires not only a lot of endurance, but a lot of good judgment as well. It's clearly a lot rougher, too, if you're battling possible waves.

I think it's kind of a moot point anyway. Even if they somehow managed to swim back to the other island (which is basically impossible), the others could just come and take them back easily. They have shown time and time again that they are very good at kidnapping. It's the same reason that they let Kate crawl out of her cage. There really is no escape.

They aren't really in the best shape they have been in either. I mean, they have had them working all day and are probably tired, and they have only been eating, what, fish bisquits? Even an olympic swimmer would probably not be able to do it under those circumstances.

Do I need to state the obvious here? Sawyer/Jack/Kate may have great bods, but I don't think they're Olympic caliber athletes. That's several miles of OCEAN swimming there, probably impossible for 99.9% of the population.

And then, of course, sharks. It didn't take long for one to find the rafties.


Forgetting the sharks, a couple of miles is nothing. An athlete would be able to do
more than *20* miles. I'm not saying anyone could do it, but anyone in good shape
who could swim could do it - ignoring possible currents. I'd give it a shot given the
alternative.

Forgetting the sharks, a couple of miles is nothing. An athlete would be able to do
more than *20* miles. I'm not saying anyone could do it, but anyone in good shape
who could swim could do it - ignoring possible currents. I'd give it a shot given the
alternative.

Really? In a 50 meter pool, 20 miles is 600 laps. I've never been a swimmer, so I don't know how many laps I could do. But I don't think I could ever do even 60 laps, let alone 600. My boss swims and is in fantastic shape. I'll ask him how many laps he can do.

The swim distance is an iron man triatholon is only 2.5 Km. I think only marathon swimmers, like those who swim the English Channel and such could swim 20 miles.

This may be off the beaten path, but maybe Sawyer is concerned about the 'shrinkage' factor. Can't look too manly for Kate after wallowing about in cold waters for a few miles.... :D
:biggrin: But you forget one of the scenes from season one where she saw him comiing out ot the water completely buck.

Forgetting the sharks, a couple of miles is nothing. An athlete would be able to do
more than *20* miles. I'm not saying anyone could do it, but anyone in good shape
who could swim could do it - ignoring possible currents. I'd give it a shot given the
alternative.

20 miles? Wow, you must know some incredible athletes. Swimming that kind of distance, especially in the ocean, is remarkably taxing. For a couple of people who likely aren't up to your standards who have been more worried about whether they will live to see the next day than their athletic accumen, even a two mile swim would probably end in a waterey grave.

Seriously, a two mile swim in the sea is a death sentence to your average joe. A 20+ mile swim is super hero status in my book. Especially in under an hour.

I never saw "captives" so disinterested in escape. Kate's breakfast with Ben down to the change of clothes and her reaction to Jack's ? did they hurt you. Something is not adding up.