Scientists recreate a 30,000-year-old epic ocean journey by canoe

Long before the invention of maps, compasses, or even metal tools, early modern humans managed an extraordinary feat: crossing vast stretches of treacherous open ocean to settle on remote islands in East Asia.

Around 30,000 years ago, people made the perilous sea journey from what is now Taiwan to the islands of southern Japan, including Okinawa.

They relied on nothing more than their instincts, rudimentary stone tools, and an unyielding drive to explore. But exactly how they managed such a journey has remained one of archaeology’s most enduring mysteries.

To help fill in the gaps, a team of researchers led by Professor Yousuke Kaifu from the University of Tokyo turned to a hands-on approach.

Through experimental archaeology and advanced ocean simulations, they set out to discover not just whether the journey was possible, but how it might have been done.

They built ancient-style boats, set off on modern-day voyages, and watched virtual paddlers take on ancient currents.

Testing an ancient ocean journey

“We initiated this project with simple questions: ‘How did Paleolithic people arrive at such remote islands as Okinawa?’ ‘How difficult was their journey?’ ‘And what tools and strategies did they use?’” Kaifu said.

With little physical evidence surviving the corrosive forces of the sea, the team took inspiration from historic experiments like Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition. They decided to test their theories the old-fashioned way – by building and paddling.

The researchers originally thought their ancient counterparts might have used rafts. But after several trial runs, they realized that rafts were far too slow and flimsy to survive the powerful Kuroshio Current, one of the world’s strongest ocean flows. Dugout canoes, on the other hand, showed more promise.

“We now know that these canoes are fast and durable enough to make the crossing,” Kaifu explained.

Voyage without modern tools

In 2019, the team built a 24-foot (7.5-meter) canoe named Sugime from a single Japanese cedar log using replicas of 30,000-year-old stone tools.

With no navigational aids other than the stars, sun, ocean swells, and their instincts, the team paddled the canoe 140 miles (225 kilometers) from eastern Taiwan to Yonaguni Island in Japan.

The journey took over 45 hours of continuous paddling – much of it without any visible sign of land.

Simulating ancient ocean routes

The experimental voyage was just one piece of the puzzle. To test a wider range of possibilities and better understand what factors helped or hindered ancient seafarers, the team also ran hundreds of computer simulations.

These digital journeys took into account variations in seasons, starting locations, ocean current patterns, and paddling directions.

“I major in oceanography and use numerical methods and particle tracking techniques to research things like eel and salmon migrations, pumice drift after volcanic eruptions, and oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico,” said lead author Yu-Lin Chang from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.

“The Kuroshio Current is generally considered dangerous to navigate. I thought if you entered it, you could only drift aimlessly. But the results of our simulations went far beyond what I had imagined.”

Ocean currents shaped navigation tactics

The simulations showed that starting from northern Taiwan dramatically improved the chances of a successful voyage.

They also revealed that heading slightly southeast, rather than directly toward the destination, helped compensate for the strong northern drift of the current.

In other words, these early explorers likely had a sophisticated sense of strategy and ocean reading, even if they didn’t possess modern maps.

One-way journey with no guarantees

Despite their impressive skills, Kaifu believes these ocean journeys were most likely one-way trips. “We do not think a return journey was possible,” he said.

“If you have a map and know the flow pattern of the Kuroshio, you can plan a return journey, but such things probably did not take place until much later in history.”

This makes the courage of those early paddlers all the more remarkable. With no guarantee of reaching land – or of returning – they set off across the open sea, propelled only by their determination and trust in their knowledge of the ocean.

Human ingenuity and adaptability

Beyond revealing how ancient humans may have crossed from Taiwan to Japan, the research opens a window into the broader question of human adaptability and innovation.

“Scientists try to reconstruct the processes of past human migrations, but it is often difficult to examine how challenging they really were,” Kaifu said.

“One important message from the whole project was that our Paleolithic ancestors were real challengers. Like us today, they had to undertake strategic challenges to advance.”

The experiments also show how early people used their environment in ways that remain impressive even by modern standards.

“For example, the ancient Polynesian people had no maps, but they could travel almost the entire Pacific,” Kaifu said.

“There are a variety of signs on the ocean to know the right direction, such as visible land masses, heavenly bodies, swells, and winds. We learned parts of such techniques ourselves along the way.”

Rediscovering the explorer spirit

What began as a series of simple questions ended in a remarkable journey – one that fused history, science, craftsmanship, and sheer human will.

In retracing the paths of our ancestors, Kaifu and his team have not only brought us closer to understanding how humans populated the remote corners of the world, but also reminded us of the timeless spirit of exploration that continues to define our species.

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