Speculations: Zombies

[Princeps senatus]

This is a talk I had on a on another forum about zombies. One thing that was generally accepted was that you could most likely survive a zombie apocalypse on a boat (or by having a boat as a base). The assumption was that zombies could reach islands by walking on the sea-/lake-bed. If you were on a boat the zombies could not reach you.

But how can we be sure zombies don't float? Dead bodies float and zombies are to my knowledge, very similar to dead bodies.

So what do guys/girls you think?

 

[Citrus]

I think it's less about zombies being able to float and more about them not being able to actually swim.

 

[ExodusinFlames]

Irrelevant!!!
I'm in Canada and near a major metro centre ... I'd be one of the first to go, but goddamn I'd be tasty.

 

[ShadowPen]

check Max Brooks Zombie Survival Guide. It saved me from quite a few sticky (and undead) situations.

 

[CoziestPigeon]

What do I think?
I think the search button.

 

[Ben Jamin]

I think that they could move but would be very slow and you would have sufficient speed to out
manouver them

also use the search button

 

[Oopsie]

As mentioned in Max Brooks' guide, sit it out on an oil platform.

 

[Jadak]

While Zomebies could, in theory, float (and it should also be noted that they can not both walk across a lake bed and float), floating alone wouldn't get them anywhere.

They would need to be capable of actually swimming, otherwise they'd be at the will of the currents. Even if they could swim, depending on where your boat is, the currents would likely still prove too much for them.

But, more importantly (in my mind), why would a Zombie do that? This applies to islands as well, why would they randomly decide to go across the water?

Even if they were almighty super swimmers, who didn't need to feed some time in the duration it would take for them to cross an Ocean. Presumable they're just mindless eating machines, what would compel them to travel through the water on the hunt for something they didn't know was there? Assuming you kept your boat out of visual range.

But, all other things aside, if they can't swim but are capable of floatation, there are no currents, and they know exactly where your boat is for some reason, I don't think you'd have any trouble keeping away, as floating isn't a particularly effective means of transportation to a specific location, and even then, I don't see how they'd actually get on board the boat. (depending on the size of the boat and how high up it sits in the water)

 

[MmmFiber]

check Max Brooks Zombie Survival Guide. It saved me from quite a few sticky (and undead) situations.

yeah, that book took the topic very seriously.

To the OP, i dont think the best strategy would be long-term. You wont have dry land to return to if the spread of zombies isnt stopped. The zombies will either convert or eat humans until they are killed. Not to mention them eating wildlife. So, the longer it takes for them to be stopped or for them to eat everything and cannibalize, the worse life would be afterwards.

 

[Schnippshly]

How would the zombies even swim to reach the boat, and then climb the side of the boat? The living can't even climb the side of a boat, I really doubt the handicapped undead could, no matter how hard they tried.

 

[Princeps senatus]

While Zomebies could, in theory, float (and it should also be noted that they can not both walk across a lake bed and float), floating alone wouldn't get them anywhere.

They would need to be capable of actually swimming, otherwise they'd be at the will of the currents. Even if they could swim, depending on where your boat is, the currents would likely still prove too much for them.

But, more importantly (in my mind), why would a Zombie do that? This applies to islands as well, why would they randomly decide to go across the water?

Even if they were almighty super swimmers, who didn't need to feed some time in the duration it would take for them to cross an Ocean. Presumable they're just mindless eating machines, what would compel them to travel through the water on the hunt for something they didn't know was there? Assuming you kept your boat out of visual range.

But, all other things aside, if they can't swim but are capable of floatation, there are no currents, and they know exactly where your boat is for some reason, I don't think you'd have any trouble keeping away, as floating isn't a particularly effective means of transportation to a specific location, and even then, I don't see how they'd actually get on board the boat. (depending on the size of the boat and how high up it sits in the water)

Well if they would float (which I'm leaning to), then one would not need a boat. You could very well survive on a island like Hawaii (if it remained untouched by the virus/infection in the first place). Though zombies might not be willing go into water they might accidentally fall into it. Even if zombie could walk on the seabed I don't think they can pass the various canyons and the uneven terrain on the seabed.

On another note they might infect the sea animals (a shark takes a bite of a floating or seabed-walking zombie), rendering the sea unusable as a food source.

 

[paladinkratos]

they might be able to make it but we would see them flailing wildly as they try to get near us on the boats so by the time they are close enough to get on the boat we could club them before they got on the boat so we would be able to stop them and be perfectly safe on a boat.

 

[Sovvolf]

It would be a good place for a while but not for too long,lets say this is a big cruise ship right, with lots of food, in the freezer and full on oil and such, for a good while you'd be able to survive but, then you run low on fuel, then you'd have to go and get some, so you'd have to make port, fueling a ship would take quite a while and alot of people to help, zombies might notice and there would be a good amount of them, so you might get rushed there. also what happens when food runs out?? you'd have to send search parties out to get food, say while said party goes and gets food they are attacked by a group, they escape uninjured and get back to the boat, but one of the crew was bitten just didnt alert any one in hopes to survive, then he turns on the boat and starts infecting the crew, the your fubar.

 

[NeedAUserName]

Even if they did float, they wouldn't be able to climb up the side of the boat.

 

[CRAVE CASE 55]

I bet you a tank could use his massive arms as a flotation device.

 

[dragontiers]

Even if they did float, they wouldn't be able to climb up the side of the boat.

While I agree it would be unlikely they would be able to get to you, if they did somehow make their way to the boat, all they would need to do is tip it over, not climb in. Once you are in the water, they could once again chomp you at their leisure. And it is very easy to tip a boat over trying to climb in, unless someone is steadying it for you. Unless of course it's a large boat, in which case the zombie would need to either sink it or use it's inhuman strength to claw it's way up the side, possibly punching holes in the side of the boat. If it's a giant steel boat like a tanker you are probably safe, but a personal use boat is usually made out of fiberglass and is a lot more tippable/destructable.

 

[eatenbyagrue]

1) Zombies don't float. They don't build up methane like decomposing bodies do, so wouldn't float. The only floating zombies you'd have to worry about are people who died while wearing life jackets.

2) Anchors. Zombies can still climb, and water means less gravity, so its just a matter of finding the line.

3) Zombies would go into the water just because. They tend to wander, and could theoretically walk along the ocean floor for years or decades before finding land.

 

[beddo]

A zombie could not walk across the sea bed, there's nothing holding them down. At a certain depth they would just be crushed and unable to move or would lose the sight and hearing ability from the damage of the pressure.

I suppose they could swim but they would likely by eaten on the way there. Even if they did get there there are lots of islands that are inaccessible by sea because of the immense waves a sheer rock faces. Just think of that lighthouse in the middle of nowhere. Alternatively an Oil Rig would be good, you just need to remove the ladders.

If you wanted to stay on a boat it would have to be a large one at least 100 foot or so, preferably an oil tanker. You'd need food, clean water and entertainment though. Zombies could swim to it but couldn't climb up, certainly not when you're moving. Then of course it would be hard to run into given all the different currents and the immense size of the ocean.

They could damage the hull but this would be unlikely, it would take a long time to do so, for an oil tanker it would take years. However, there's always the problem of storms in the ocean. I suppose you could be better off in a submarine but it takes a special type of person to handle those confined spaces, let alone actually work a submarine.

I'm going to say an island would be best, one that's inaccessible by sea without technology. As long as you have plenty of clean spring water, fertile ground and decent shelter you would be fine.

It's all a bit nonsense though because zombies don't exist, they never have, they never will. They don't even make sense theoretically speaking.