Punishment in Panama

**Clint Jivoin and Laura Zerra have to stay 21 days on a Panamanian island called Cayo de Agua, plagued with sand flies and threatened by snakes: pit vipers and boas.**

## Punishment in Panama

### Length

42

**Narrator:**  *"**Panama, Central America. The island of Cayo de Agua lies to the northwest. Violent storms lash the island with winds up to 80 an hour and dump over 10 feet of rain annually. It's a hot and oppressively humid place. The surrounding is home to over 30 species of shark, including aggressive bull and tiger sharks. Inland the beach quickly gives away to putrid swamp. There, predatory Caiman can grow to 19 feet. Deadly pit vipers and boas lie in wait for any warm-blooded prey."***

### Personal Items

Laura brings a machete. Clint brings swim goggles.

### Day 1

* **8:36am | 83ºF.** Clint and Laura start through the jungle to find their camp. It's dense and muddy.
* **1:17pm | 91ºF**. Laura spots a large fruit tree with an abundance of "water apples," an edible fruit with many health benefits, including hydration.
* **2:23pm | 93ºF. | Humidity 94%**.  Laura spots a coconut tree, and while cutting a coconut open, she cuts her hand with the machete. Clint ties it up with some vines and leaves. Moving forward, they find a water source and soon after find the beachhead where they will camp.
* Clint wants to sleep on the beach and move in when the tide comes. He has stated several times he's afraid of snakes and bats. Laura thinks it's best to set up the shelter on the jungle's edge so they don't have to worry about the tide.
* **Clint: "*So we go with Laura's idea about where to set up the shelter. This pisses me off because it takes us off the beach and puts us too close to the swamps. You go 10 feet off the beach, and you're in swampy, crappy jungle." "You got bats down here, caiman, big-ass pythons. My biggest concern is when I'm sleeping, stuff crawling on me.***"
* **10:31pm | 81ºF.** All the creatures have come out at night, and Clint is freaking out a bit.

### Day 2

* **Narrator: *"Laura and Clint have been besieged by sand flies, also known as chitras. Less than 1/8 of an inch, they're are the smallest of all biting and stinging insects." "Bites from chitras can transmit disease, causing fever, liver and spleen enlargement, and anemia."***
* Laura says it's the worst itching she's ever experienced. They prioritize getting a fire started to keep the insects at bay.
* **10:57pm | 86º | Humidity 85 %**. Clint tries making fire with a fire-saw, but the humidity is too high to get a spark. Laura unsuccessfully uses a bow drill to start a fire. Clint is becoming dehydrated and goes to get water. During the night, they are being eaten alive by the insects, and rats are running all around. Clint is worried the rats will bring snakes.

### Day 3

* **9:51am | 85ºF | 88% Humidity**. Laura is covered in bug bites, and her feet and ankles are swelling. She and Clint have not had anything to eat in three days.

**Narrator: "*<In a tropical climate like Panama, it can rain for a week at a time."***

### Day 4

* It's been raining for a full day. Laura and Clint's spirits are low. They are cold, hungry, and exhausted from lack of sleep.
* **Narrator:** *"**With the temperature dropping and a decline in Laura and Clint's core body heat, hypothermia becomes a real possibility."***

### Day 7

* The rain is relentless. Laura and Clint are cold, but Laura is uncomfortable with her and Clint sharing body heat.

### Day 8

* **8:33am | 84ºF.**
* **Narrator:** **"*Day 8, and the rain finally stops, but the bugs are still plaguing Laura."***
* Laura is bitten from head to toe by the sandflies. Her lymph nodes are swelling. She's concerned about having an allergic reaction and going into anaphylactic shock.
* **4:15pm | 87ºF. | Humidity 91%.** Laura continues to use the bow drill to start a fire, angering Clint because he doesn't think it will work, especially in the rain. He walks away without helping her. Laura goes to Clint for help, and he tries the bow drill to no avail. Clint walks away, frustrated. He tries again and gets fire. Clint admits that he was wrong, thinking this method would never work.
* Laura gathers the leaves of the noni plant and steams them in the fire. She wraps them around her feet, and the remedy quickly eases the pain and swelling.

### Day 11

* **Narrator:** *"**Getting fire was instrumental in keeping the bugs away and helping Laura heal her swollen feet, but lack of food is making them cranky, straining their relationship."***
* Clint is annoyed Laura keeps leaving used coconuts around the shelter, bringing ants and possibly other dangerous wildlife. He's feeling the effects of low blood sugar more than Laura is.
* 10**:13am | 85ºF.** Laura weaves a lobster trap, and Clint makes a spear. Laura and Clint swim out and place the lobster trap. He freaks out because he's worried about sharks, etc. By the time Laura pops to the surface, Clint is already on the beach. She continues fishing and catches a sea urchin. Clint is unimpressed.
* **5:34pm | 84ºF.** Laura roasts the sea urchin. Despite his hunger and low blood sugar, Clint wants nothing to do with it.

### Day 13

* **Narrator:** *"**Day 13 and starvation is affecting Clint physically and mentally. He's consumed barely any protein for almost two weeks. Laura is growing increasingly worried as her partner hits rock bottom.**"*
* **1:15pm | 89ºF**.  **Clint complains about Laura and says**, ***"It's like she thinks it's "The Laura Show" and it's not. I don't know if she just thinks she's God's gift to bushcraft or survival or what, but at the same time, I think she forgets that I'm the one doing the physical, physical stuff and have been since we got here as far as, like, chopping down trees, and pretty much all the machete work I've done."***
* **3:32pm | 93º F | 95% Humidity**. Clint tells Laura to check the lobster trap. He refuses to go out himself because he says he's not swimming with any sharks. Laura asks Clint what he has been doing since she hasn't seen him in hours, which turns into an argument. She thanks Clint for his hard work. Insulted and hurt, Clint walks away. Eventually, he returns two coconuts for her as a peace offering. Laura felt their conflict was not resolved.

### Day 14

* **Narrator: *Laura and Clint have now gone more than two weeks subsisting on water apples, coconuts, snails, and a sea urchin. They are both showing distinct signs of malnourishment as their bodies rapidly deplete any reserves they have. Their strength is low, and physical endurance is poor. Laura and Clint are also suffering from the psychological effects of starvation, making them anxious, impatient, and withdrawn."***

### Day 17

* Laura swims out to check the lobster trap. When she looks inside, there are two lobsters. They are ecstatic and enjoy their meal.
* Clint says he was very proud and grateful to Laura.
* They start to build a raft, testing it to ensure it floats. The extraction point is 2 miles out to the open sea.

### Day 18

* They catch a baby caiman. Laura starts skinning it while it's still alive, and as it wiggles and cries out, she says, "Oh!". The camera cuts and shows them roasting and eating it.

### Day 21 | Extraction

* As they paddle out on the raft, a storm is brewing, reducing the visibility. As Clint and Laura are about to turn and go back, they see the boat and are rescued.

### Weight Loss

* Clint - **40 lbs**
* Laura - **17 lbs**

### PSR

* Clint - **6.9 to 7.3**
* Laura - **7.9 to 8.2**