A diver was exploring the ocean floor and came across a tasty looking crab. He reached out to collect it for supper. His hand got wedged in a rock and he was trapped there for some time. As he waited for rescue, he came to the realization that his oxygen was running low and that he would die if he stayed down much longer. He took his diving knife and chopped off his own hand. The fate of the crab is unknown.

This tale was around far before anyone had heard of Aron Ralston, who was hiking in a Utah canyon in 2003 when a boulder fell on him and pinned him. After two days without water, he realized that he would have to take drastic action and amputated his own arm below the elbow, applied a tourniquet, then rappelled out of the canyon and hiked out.

HOME