When the sea stretches out like a massive, blue bowl and you’re clinging to a splintered plank, the idea of 10 islands you might be forced to call home can send a shiver down your spine. You stare desperately for any speck of land, hoping the next rise out of the waves is a friendly shore and not a trap waiting to claim you.

Why 10 islands you should steer clear of

10 The Farallon Islands

Imagine you’ve been tossed off the San Francisco coast and the nearest solid ground is a cluster of craggy outcrops. Those are the Farallon Islands, sometimes called the Farrallones, perched just off the Golden Gate.

The catch? Between 1946 and 1970, over 47,800 drums of radioactive waste were dumped into the surrounding waters. Those drums are still lurking beneath the surface, potentially leaching contaminants into the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

The upside is that the islands themselves aren’t known to be contaminated, and the surrounding sea is teeming with fish—though you might wonder whether those fish have been tinged with a hint of radioactivity.

9 Isla De Las Munecas

If you somehow find yourself adrift in the canals of Xochimilco, south of Mexico City, you might stumble upon a tiny island that looks like a refuge. The sight that greets you, however, is far from comforting.

Everywhere you look, dolls—some whole, some missing limbs, some just heads perched on sticks—hang from trees like macabre ornaments. The eerie display stems from a tragic tale.

In the mid‑20th century, caretaker Don Julian Santana Barrera discovered a drowned little girl in the canal and, unable to save her, was devastated. To honor her memory, he hung a floating doll on a nearby tree. Over time, more dolls appeared, each meant to appease what he believed was the girl’s restless spirit.

Half a century later, Barrera himself was found drowned in the same spot. Legend says the dolls whisper, watch, and even drive visitors mad. Still, the island’s shoreline is probably safer than the haunted toys suggest.

8 Isola Della Gaiola

Picture being shipwrecked in the Gulf of Naples and washing ashore on a tiny pair of islets linked by a stone arch. The place looks like a postcard—just 30 meters from the mainland and boasting a deserted villa perfect for a quick nap.

But beneath the Instagram‑worthy façade lies a curse that has plagued owners for a century. Since the 1920s, a string of tragedies has befallen those who possessed the island.

Owners have met mysterious ends: Hans Braun was murdered and wrapped in a rug, his wife drowned, Otto Grunback died of a heart attack, Maurice‑Yves Sandoz committed suicide, Baron Karl Paul Langheim went bankrupt, Gianni Agnelli lost his son to suicide and his nephew to cancer, Paul Getty’s grandson was kidnapped, and Gianpasquale Grappone was jailed shortly after purchase.

So, while the view is stunning, the island’s dark legacy might make you think twice before settling in for the night.

7 Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll dazzles with white sand, swaying palms, and crystal‑clear water. If your boat capsizes nearby, you might think you’ve hit paradise—at least for a brief moment.

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States detonated 23 nuclear weapons on the atoll, including the massive Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb, which was a thousand times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The native Bikinians were forcibly relocated to nearby Kili Island.

Today, the surrounding sea still supports fish that appear safe to eat, but any attempt to supplement your diet with coconuts, breadfruit, or other local vegetation would expose you to dangerous levels of residual radioactivity.

6 Ilha Da Queimada Grande

Imagine being stranded on a Brazilian island that’s home to up to 4,000 golden lancehead vipers—snakes that exist nowhere else on Earth and are classified as endangered.

Local lore tells of a lighthouse keeper whose family was allegedly attacked by snakes that slipped through the windows, forcing the entire household to flee into the jungle only to be bitten on the beach. The Brazilian government now requires any visitor to be accompanied by a medical professional.

If you ever find yourself washed ashore on this serpentine paradise, the wisest move is probably to paddle back out to open water before the vipers get a chance to strike.

5 Plum Island

Landing on Plum Island off Long Island’s coast might feel like stepping into a Dr. Evil lair—or, more mundanely, a research facility. The island houses the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a U.S. government lab that studies animal pathogens.

Over the years, the island has attracted conspiracy theories, from rumors about secret bioweapon experiments to the legendary “Montauk Monster,” an unidentified carcass that washed ashore in 2008 and was later identified as a raccoon.

Efforts to sell the island have been blocked by environmental groups, and the grounds remain home to foot‑and‑mouth disease research. Stranded there, you might hope for a rescue, but you could also end up sharing a campsite with a few very curious, possibly radioactive, spiders.

4 North Sentinel Island

Sailing through the Bay of Bengal, you spot a mangrove‑covered speck of land with pristine white sand. Before you can even set foot, a voice erupts from the jungle, and you realize you’ve stumbled onto North Sentinel Island.

The island is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world’s last uncontacted peoples. Any outsider who lands there is met with lethal force; the tribe has a long history of killing intruders.

The Indian government has enforced a 4.8‑kilometer (3‑mile) exclusion zone around the island to protect both the tribe and would‑be visitors. Encroaching on this protected area could introduce disease to the Sentinelese or result in a violent encounter.

3 Miyakejima

If you happen to crash near Miyakejima, a volcanic island south of Tokyo, you’ll quickly discover that a gas mask is more vital than a life‑raft.

The island’s volcano constantly belches sulfuric fumes, making the air hazardous. Residents are legally required to carry a gas mask at all times, and on days when emissions spike, the entire population may be evacuated.

Visitors are forced to bring a mask as well; without one, you’d be breathing toxic gases that could prove fatal in a matter of minutes.

2 Gruinard Island

Landing on the barren, treeless Scottish outcrop of Gruinard Island might seem like an invitation to a quiet day with the local sheep—if those sheep weren’t part of a grim anthrax experiment.

During World War II, the British military dropped “dirty bombs” loaded with the virulent Vollum 14578 anthrax strain onto flocks of sheep to test biological warfare capabilities. The island became heavily contaminated and was abandoned.

In the 1980s, activists known as Operation Dark Harvest scattered contaminated soil to pressure the government into decontaminating the island. By 1990, Gruinard was declared safe, and no anthrax cases have been recorded among its sheep since 2007.

1 Ramree Island

Picture yourself in the Bay of Bengal during World War II, your ship bombed, and you scrambling for the nearest land. Your map tells you you’ve reached Ramree Island, a sizable stretch off Burma’s coast.

While the island appears tame today, 1945 saw a horrific episode where nearly a thousand Japanese soldiers, fleeing Allied fire, became trapped in mangrove swamps. Exhausted, dehydrated, and plagued by mosquitoes, they were devoured by massive saltwater crocodiles.

Survivor accounts claim only about twenty soldiers lived to be captured, their minds scarred by the gruesome carnage. If you were to find yourself shipwrecked on Ramree during that period, the best course of action would be to hop into a time machine and head home.

When the ocean turns into a massive, blue bowl and you’re clinging to a splintered plank, spotting a speck of land can feel like a miracle. But imagine that “miracle” is actually a trap—an island that would make you wish you could swim back into the sea. Below are 10 islands you would definitely not want to be shipwrecked on.

Why 10 Islands You Should Steer Clear Of

Some stretches of water hide tiny specks that look like salvation, yet those specks often hide danger, history, or curses that turn a simple rescue into a horror story. Let’s explore each of these foreboding isles, from nuclear leftovers to snake‑infested rocks.

10 The Farallon Islands

Picture this: you’ve just been tossed off the San Francisco coast, waves pounding your battered lifeboat, and a cluster of rugged rocks appears on the horizon. Those are the Farallon Islands, a jumble of sea stacks just a short drift away.

The catch? Between 1946 and 1970, more than 47,800 drums of radioactive waste were secretly dumped in the surrounding waters. Those barrels are notoriously hard to locate and may still be leaching toxins into the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

On the upside, the islands themselves are mostly rock and scrub, and the fish that swim nearby could be a tasty, if slightly questionable, snack. Whether the seafood is contaminated is a gamble you probably don’t want to take.

9 Isla De Las Munecas

The odds of finding yourself adrift in the canals of Xochimilco, just south of Mexico City, are slim, but anything can happen—especially after a few too‑many drinks. Imagine the relief of seeing a tiny island and steering toward it for a breath of air.

Instead of sand and palm trees, you’re greeted by a macabre forest of dolls: heads on sticks, torsos dangling from trees, and eyes that seem to follow you. The eerie display stems from a tragic tale.

In the 1960s, caretaker Don Julian Santana Barrera discovered a drowned girl in the canal. Overcome with grief, he hung a floating doll on a nearby tree as a tribute. He kept adding more dolls, hoping to appease the child’s restless spirit.

Half a century later, Barrera himself vanished beneath the same waters, fueling the legend that the island is haunted. While the dolls might be unsettling, the island is otherwise harmless—unless you believe they whisper or stare.

8 Isola Della Gaiola

Imagine being hurled onto a sun‑kissed archipelago just off the Gulf of Naples. The Gaiola group consists of two small islets linked by a stone arch, only about 30 metres from the mainland—a perfect Instagram backdrop, if only you had a phone.

The islands host a crumbling villa that could serve as a makeshift shelter. Yet beneath the picturesque façade lies a string of misfortunes that have plagued every owner since the 1920s.

Hans Braun, the first modern owner, was murdered and wrapped in a rug; his wife later drowned. Subsequent proprietors—Otto Grunback, Maurice‑Yves Sandoz, Baron Karl Paul Langheim, Gianni Agnelli, Paul Getty, and Gianpasquale Grappone—met untimely deaths, bankruptcies, kidnappings, or imprisonments. The curse seems relentless.

So, if you ever find yourself stranded on Gaiola, you might want to question whether the island’s beauty outweighs its ominous legacy.

7 Bikini Atoll

Bikini Atoll looks like a postcard—pristine white sand, swaying palms, and crystal‑clear water. A shipwreck here would feel like a lucky break at first glance.

However, from 1946 to 1958 the United States conducted 23 nuclear tests on the atoll, including the massive Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb, which was roughly a thousand times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The native Bikinians were forced to relocate to nearby Kili Island, and the atoll remains contaminated. While the surrounding sea still supports fish that appear safe to eat, consuming coconuts or breadfruit grown on the islands would expose you to dangerous levels of radiation over time.

6 Ilha Da Queimada Grande

When most people think of a shipwreck, they imagine storm‑tossed decks and hungry sharks. On Brazil’s Ilha da Queimada Grande, the real threat slithers on the ground: up to 4,000 golden lancehead vipers, a venomous species found nowhere else on Earth.

Legend tells of a lighthouse keeper whose windows were breached by the snakes, leading to the death of his entire family. The Brazilian government now tightly controls access, requiring a doctor’s presence on any visit.

If you ever wash ashore on “Snake Island,” the smartest move is to scramble back into the sea before a viper decides you’re its next meal.

5 Plum Island

Stranded on Plum Island off Long Island’s coast, you might feel like you’ve stepped onto a secret‑agent’s hideout. The island hosts the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, a U.S. government facility that studies animal pathogens.

Its mysterious reputation is amplified by oddities such as the infamous Montauk Monster—a carcass that washed ashore in 2008 and was later identified as a raccoon. Conspiracy theories swirl around the research labs, suggesting hidden experiments.

Efforts to sell the island have faced legal challenges from environmental groups. Today, the island remains a fenced‑off enclave of foot‑and‑mouth disease research, with rumors of undisclosed experiments. You might leave with a feeling that something invisible is watching you.

4 North Sentinel Island

Picture rowing through the sparkling Bay of Bengal when a lone, mangrove‑covered speck appears on the horizon. As you draw nearer, a chorus of angry shouts erupts—an instant death sentence.

North Sentinel Island is home to the Sentinelese, one of the world’s last uncontacted peoples. Any outsider who lands there is met with lethal force; the tribe fiercely defends its isolation.

The Indian government enforces a 4.8‑kilometre exclusion zone around the island, both to protect the Sentinelese from disease and to keep visitors from a violent fate. Respect the boundary, or you may become a cautionary tale.

3 Miyakejima

If you happen to be shipwrecked off Japan’s Miyakejima, you’ll quickly discover that the island’s most valuable souvenir is a gas mask.

The tiny town sits directly beneath an active volcano that constantly belches sulfuric fumes. Local law mandates that residents—and any visitor—carry a mask at all times. When the air quality plummets, even the masks can’t always keep the toxic gases at bay, prompting full evacuations.

So, unless you’ve packed an extra mask or can borrow one from a fellow castaway, the island’s beautiful scenery comes with a very literal breath‑of‑fresh‑air warning.

2 Gruinard Island

Landing on Scotland’s Gruinard Island might feel like stepping onto a quiet, grassy plain—if you ignore the faint scent of danger.

During World War II, British scientists dropped “dirty bombs” filled with the virulent anthrax strain Vollum 14578 onto the island’s sheep population. The disease turned the island into a biological hazard, forcing the military to abandon it.

In the 1980s, activist group Operation Dark Harvest scattered contaminated soil across the UK to pressure authorities into decontaminating Gruinard. A massive cleanup began in 1986, and by 1990 the island was declared safe.

Since then, the resident test sheep have remained anthrax‑free, with the last recorded case in 2007. Still, the memory of a once‑lethal island lingers, making it a less‑than‑ideal place to wash ashore.

1 Ramree Island

You need to step back in time. Your ship has been bombed in the Bay of Bengal, and you have to swim for the nearest land you can see. You make it. Your waterproof map that you hastily stuffed in your pocket tells you that you are on Ramree Island

Just swim for your life. Turn around. Get picked up by the enemy—just swim.

Ramree is a large island that sits off the coast of Burma. It is relatively tame now, but back in World War II, it was allegedly the stage for the largest massacre of humans by animals in recorded history. Japanese troops who were holding the island of Ramree in 1945 became engaged in fierce conflict with Allied troops, who were determined to take the island. Nearly 1,000 of the Japanese soldiers ran through the swampland to reach more of their cohort on the other side of the island.

The mosquito‑bitten solders, hungry and thirsty, were eaten alive by giant saltwater crocodiles. As the Allied troops waited to capture surrendering Japanese soldiers, they were horrified at the sounds of the massacre. According to some reports, only 20 soldiers survived and were captured, terrified beyond belief at the carnage they had witnessed.

So if you find yourself shipwrecked on Ramree Island in the 1940s, you really need to hop back in your time machine and get out of there.