The stars of survival shows like “Man vs. Wild,” “Survivorman” and “Dual Survival” have nothing on U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake [R-Ariz.].

During a luncheon hosted by Rotary Club of Sedona on Tuesday, March 31, Arizona’s junior U.S. senator spoke on a variety of political topics but the one he spent the most amount of time on was his trio of stays on deserted islands.

A fan of adventure novels — specifically those involving being lost at sea — Flake said he often wondered if he could survive alone on an island. Six years ago he put that curiosity to the test after receiving permission to be stranded alone on one of the Marshall Islands, a chain between Hawaii and Australia. He took with him a spear, mask and snorkel, a water desalinator, magnifying glass to start fires and a hammock. He was picked up a week later.

“I speared fish and ate coconuts,”; he said. “It was a great time. Let me tell you, that coconut water craze is over for me. It’s overrated.”

The experience proved to be such a good one that a couple years later he took his kids. But he made national news last year when he teamed up with U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich [D-N.M.] for not only a week of survival but to prove that Republicans and Democrats can get along. Flake said once the two got their wives’ permission, it took about a year of planning before their trip became a reality.

To read the full story, see the Friday, April 3, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.