The coconut has an image problem. A hospital doctor from Papua New Guinea once calculated that the impact force of falling coconut palm fruits would be more than a ton. Since then, the rumor of 150 coconut deaths per year has persisted, although the number is roughly or even fictitious. How many people actually die because a nut falls on them is not recorded statistically.
What, however, is documented: Coconuts can save lives, specifically the lives of Livae Nanjikana and Junior Qoloni from the Solomon Islands. The men set out on an excursion with their boat on September 3, but then got caught in a storm and in distress, as they told the radio in their homeland. Their GPS device failed and they lost their bearings. The oranges they had with them as provisions were eaten after nine days. Fortunately, there are coconuts floating around in the South Pacific that can be cracked with the help of an anchor. 20 more days and dozens of floating coconuts later, Nanjikana and Qoloni were rescued, 400 kilometers from home.
In addition to fiber and medium-chain saturated fatty acids, coconuts contain a lot of minerals – and apparently also mood-enhancing substances. After 29 days of loneliness on board, the men did not complain about boredom or the one-sided diet, but were happy about a whole month without Corona news. “I finally didn’t notice anything more”, said Nanjikana to that Guardian. “It was a nice break.” A coconut kiss on this attitude to life!
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