Sunburnt & Sinking โ€“ A Stranded Deep Survival Diary: Day Three

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary โ€“ Day 3

Difficulty: Normal
Optional Features: Permadeath enabled (naturally)

“Hydration success, culinary failure, and the return of a long-lost knife.”

Weather / Loot / Mood

  • Weather: Warm morning sun, light breeze, suspiciously perfect for false optimism
  • Loot: Cloth (from mystery container), water still, refined knife (found in sand), shattered coconut dreams
  • Mood: Parched โ†’ euphoric โ†’ regretful โ†’ betrayed

Water Still Victory

I woke with a tongue like sandpaper and the hydration levels of a sun-bleached raisin. Todayโ€™s mission was clear: build a water still. The problem? I had no cloth โ€” or at least, thatโ€™s what I believed.

While digging through my supplies, I remembered the sealed storage container Iโ€™d been dragging around like some clueless beach hoarder. Inside, lying there like a treasure in a castawayโ€™s dream, was one glorious piece of cloth. Just enough for what I needed.

Moments later, I had all the parts gathered, and the still was built โ€” my first real piece of survival infrastructure. It stood proudly in the sand, a guarantee that thirst would no longer be my most urgent problem. I almost gave it a name.

Floating Cloth and Coconut Regrets

Of course, before the still came together, my cloth had to put on a show. When I dropped it on the ground, it stood upright like it was trying to defy gravity โ€” or audition for a magic act. Strange, yes, but soon incorporated into my new pride and joy.

With water secured, I turned my attention to food. Variety was key โ€” crabs and coconuts had kept me alive so far, but they werenโ€™t exactly a balanced diet. I set my sights on fish, convinced a fire spit would be my ticket to grilled seafood glory.

But first, a quick survival PSA: never eat too many coconuts. The consequences areโ€ฆ unpleasant. Iโ€™ll spare you the details, but letโ€™s just say my digestive system filed an official complaint and threatened industrial action.

Island Limits & A Knifeโ€™s Return

My island had been generous, but the easy loot was running out. If I wanted to thrive โ€” or even just eat something different โ€” Iโ€™d have to explore further afield. I wasnโ€™t ready for that kind of commitment, but survival doesnโ€™t really take โ€œmaybe laterโ€ as an answer.

While gathering materials for the journey, I spotted something glinting in the sand. It was my refined knife โ€” the same one Iโ€™d apparently dropped days ago, possibly while fleeing a crab with attitude issues. I picked it up and welcomed it back into my inventory like an old friend whoโ€™d just wandered back from the pub.

I also discovered I could make a wooden farming plot. Long-term food production sounded fantasticโ€ฆ until I realised I didnโ€™t have a hoe. That idea went straight onto my โ€œfuture ambitionsโ€ list, somewhere between โ€œbuild a smokerโ€ and โ€œstop capsizing my raft.โ€

The Fire Spit Betrayal

Finally, the fire spit was built, my visions of sizzling fish nearly within reach. I placed my catch over the fire andโ€ฆ nothing. Turns out the fire spit is not the universal cooking solution I hoped for. Apparently, fish require a more advanced setup โ€” a smoker, or perhaps a deal with the culinary gods.

So the day ended with me sipping fresh water and eating yet more crab, while the dream of grilled fish drifted out to sea like an unanchored raft. Still, progress had been made: hydration secured, knife recovered, lesson learned.

Tomorrow, Iโ€™ll brave the sea and head for another island. If I find my way back here, great. If notโ€ฆ well, coconuts probably taste the same everywhere.

Continue the Journey

Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 (You Are Here) |
Final Day

The Great Blog Refresh โ€“ Survivor Incognito Gets a Full Update

Site Update: The Big Refresh

Itโ€™s cleanup time at Survivor Incognito. Every single post and page is getting updatedโ€”tightened navigation, consistent formatting, proper โ€œprevious/nextโ€ links, and some extra polish where needed.

The good news? SnowRunner, Subnautica, The Cold Chronicles, Day One Diaries, and Stranded Deep are already fully refreshed. Those series now have smooth navigation, consistent style, and zero dead-end links.

The rest are next in line. If you stumble into a post mid-update and the links feel a bitโ€ฆ chaotic, just know itโ€™s all part of the process. Order will be restored soon.


Why this matters:

  • Better flow for binge-reading entire series.
  • Consistent formatting across the site.
  • Quick access to hub pages and related guides.

So if something suddenly looks cleaner or has a shiny new link, thatโ€™s me in the background, doing the digital equivalent of tidying camp before nightfall.

They Save Lives โ€” I Save Game Progress

What profession do you admire most and why?

Search and rescue teams. They put themselves in danger to pull total strangers (and occasionally very confused dogs) out of trouble. In survival games, Iโ€™m usually the one who needs rescuing, so I have huge respect for anyone who can do it for real โ€” without pausing to check their inventory.

(Until the rescue chopper arrives, youโ€™ll find me surviving virtually at Survivor Incognito.)

Supplies for Survivingโ€ฆ the Loading Screen

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

A survival supply shop for gamers โ€” stocked with snacks, spare Joy-Cons, portable chargers, and just enough actual survival gear to make you think youโ€™d be fine in the wild. Because letโ€™s be honest, the real danger is running out of battery before the wolves arrive. (Speaking of survival, Iโ€™ve got plenty of stories at Survivor Incognito if you ever need inspiration.)

New Page Alert โ€“ Subnautica Survival Guide Now Live!

Attention survivors โ€“ your underwater playbook has arrived!

The brand-new Subnautica Survival Guide is now live on Survivor Incognito, packed with everything you need to go from panicked paddler to confident deep-sea explorer. Whether itโ€™s your first day swimming out of the lifepod or youโ€™re gearing up for an Aurora run, this guide covers it all โ€“ from must-have early tools to predator evasion tips and base-building advice.

Weโ€™ve even included:

  • A quick-reference predator list (because sometimes you just need to know if the big shadow is going to eat you).
  • Switch control table so you can stop pressing the wrong button when panic sets in.
  • A linked map hub for finding resources without wandering into Leviathan territory by โ€œaccident.โ€
  • A quick start card for Days 1โ€“3 priorities.

If youโ€™re starting fresh in Subnautica โ€“ or just want to survive without becoming lunch โ€“ this page is your new best friend.

๐ŸŒŠ Read the full Subnautica Survival Guide here

This Week on Survivor Incognito โ€“ From Frozen Lakes to Flooded Engines

Stranded Deep Day 2, a winning Dead by Daylight survivor build, The Long Dark Day 10, Subnautica Day 1, and SnowRunner Day 4โ€”chaos included

This week was all about variety โ€” and a little bit of chaos.

Sunburnt & Sinking โ€“ Day Two (Stranded Deep):
Water was scarce, knives kept breaking, and island life felt less โ€œtropical paradiseโ€ and more โ€œDIY dehydration challenge.โ€

Survivorโ€™s Dread โ€“ Dead by Daylight:
I tried a survivor build that shouldnโ€™t have worked on R.P.D.โ€ฆ and somehow it did. Consider me pleasantly confused and very alive.

The Cold Chronicles โ€“ Day Ten (The Long Dark):
The Voyageur dream continues: careful route planning, stubborn weather, and only the occasional questionable decision.

Submerged โ€“ Day One (Subnautica):
Ship explodes, pod catches fire, I jump into alien waters armed with optimism and a fire extinguisher. Classic first day energy.

Snowrunner Survival โ€“ Day Four:
More permagear trucking through icy mud. Reminder: โ€œoff-roadโ€ sometimes just means โ€œoff my sanity.โ€


Thanks for reading! If you like chill survival (with a side of chaos), stick aroundโ€”more diaries and guides are on the way.

The Real Survival Kit

What is the most important thing to carry with you all the time?

A charged Nintendo Switch, because survival is a lot easier when you can pass the time between disasters. Bonus points if itโ€™s loaded with enough survival games to make you feel prepared for absolutely nothing in real life.

Turning Survival into a Shared Laugh

What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?

If my blog could change anything in the world, it would be to make survival games feel less like grim endurance tests and more like a shared adventure. I want people to see that you can still have fun, learn new strategies, and tell ridiculous stories even when the in-game wolves are chewing on your leg. If one person feels more confident to try a survival gameโ€”or finds themselves laughing at a blizzard-induced disaster instead of rage-quittingโ€”then Iโ€™ve done my job.

Snowrunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries โ€“ Day Four


Day 4 of SnowRunner’s permadeath run brings a new fleet member, another watchtower, and some serious heavy lifting as Frank dominates mountain terrain and takes on multiple tasks.

๐Ÿ“œ Series Hub: SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub

๐Ÿ›  Rules: SnowRunner Permagear Rules

๐Ÿ’ก Why Permagear Works: Read the reasoning behind the challenge

Missed Day Three? Find it here.


๐Ÿ”ง Day Four: Meet Red. Trust Frank.

I start the day by hopping into Scout. Thereโ€™s a vehicle icon on the map and, well, you know Iโ€™m not ignoring that. Turns out itโ€™s the Scout 800โ€”a compact little powerhouse with AWD pre-installed and Diff Lock always on. Sure, the fuel tank’s smaller, but it’s got heart.

Naturally, I drive it back to the garage and give it a proper makeover. New tyres, fresh coat of paintโ€ฆ and a name: Red.

Taken before Red’s fresh coat of paint

Red gets a test run with a little exploring and even discovers a watchtower near the Mountain Bridge task. The bridge needs metal beams and concrete blocks, which means it’s time to call in the only truck I trust for a job like this: Frank.

Frank, ladies and gentlemen, is built different. He doesnโ€™t need fancy tyres (though heโ€™ll get them one day). Mud? Optional. Gravity? Merely a suggestion.


First, he hauls the metal beams to the bridgeโ€”zero issues. Then he climbs the mountain to Redโ€™s position four times. Twice empty, twice with concrete blocks. Two blocks go to the Mountain Bridge (task complete), and the other two finish off the Fallen Powerline.

After finishing the bridge, I roll down the newly opened road a little farther and discover the Road Block task. I accept it immediatelyโ€”because of course I do. Frankโ€™s momentum waits for no one.

The Cold Chronicles Day Ten: A Voyageur’s Tale of The Long Dark


The Cold Chronicles โ€“ Day 10: Ravine Roulette, Floating Deer, and Finally Mystery Lake

Day 10 in The Long Dark sees me teetering over the Ravineโ€™s abyss, harvesting meat from a deer thatโ€™s apparently learned levitation, and finallyโ€”finallyโ€”reaching Mystery Lake. Bonus: new socks, because morale matters.

Missed the previous day? The Cold Chronicles Day Nine


Leaving the Trailer, Chasing the Horizon

I stepped out of the trailer at the Train Unloading area, the morning air biting in that way The Long Dark seems to enjoy. The plan was simple: follow the train tracks east until the Ravine transition zone, then cross into Mystery Lake. Simple plans in this game never stay simple.

The tracks carried me into the Ravineโ€”beautiful in the kind of way that makes you briefly forget itโ€™s also a death trap. Narrow ledges, collapsed rails, and drops you donโ€™t get back up from. One balancing section across a busted bit of track nearly gave me a heart attack, but I made it across without testing the fall damage mechanics. Small victories.


The Floating Deer Incident

Birds circling in the distance caught my attentionโ€”never ignore free protein. I hiked over, expecting a standard carcass. Instead, I found a deer hovering several inches above the snow like it had unlocked some kind of ungulate wizardry.

I harvested the meat quickly, mostly to avoid breaking whatever fragile laws of nature were keeping it afloat. Then, in my post-butcher haze, I realized the deer had been โ€œpointingโ€ toward the right path all along. Thanks, floating friend.


Birch Bark and Bullet Rewards

Further along, a lone backpack waited at the edge of another narrow crossing. Inside: one revolver cartridge. Not much, but when you live in a world where bullets are basically gold, you donโ€™t complain.

I also found an absurd amount of birch barkโ€”seven pieces in total. If this run ends, it will not be because I ran out of tea. Deer hunting? Optional. Birch bark tea? Mandatory.


Mystery Lake at Last

The Ravine eventually spat me out onto the familiar terrain of Mystery Lake. Relief hit harder than the wind. I spotted a trailer and decided it would be my base for the night. Outside, I lit a fire, cooking up the deer meat and a rabbit Iโ€™d nabbed earlier. The smell alone was enough to make me feel like I was thriving rather than just surviving.

Inside, I scored a pair of climbing socksโ€”a glorious upgrade from my starting sports socks. Harvested some spare clothes for cloth, then realized Iโ€™d left a rabbit steak outside. Thatโ€™s tomorrowโ€™s wolf bait or breakfast, depending on how fast I am in the morning.

I dropped my deer and rabbit hides, along with the guts, to start curing. Mystery Lake had officially welcomed meโ€”with warmth, food, and better footwear.


Continue the journey: Day 9 | Day 11 โ€“ Coming Soon


More from The Long Dark:

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑