Why is the submarine the only way off the island?

[LostGirlDeb]

What about the Air drops, we know that they were getting re-supplied. So why not by air?

Yes good point!!

[goober]

No place to land a plane.

Helicopter might work though... although I don't know if a helicopter has the required range...

[roger_workman]

Ben definetly wants 'his people' to believe that they can leave if they want. He just uses the submarine for that effect. But he doesn't want them to leave. He wants them to think he is a good leader. But now that the sub is asploded, i think that there might be some trouble with the others.

[Cardacct]

Theoretically if Desmond was in that sailing race, they should be able to use the sailboat to leave the island by taking it out on the open sea.  But Desmond was unable to leave the island.  There has to be something dealing with the properties of the submarine that allows it to leave, but not above-water vessels.

That's what I think.

[goober]

Locke is dangerous. He's a "true-believer" and these types usually are willing to go to extremes for their beliefs. Even if it means others have to suffer.

I can see Locke being easily manipulated by Ben because:

(1) Locke wants to stay on the island
(2) Ben doesn't want anyone to leave the island
(3) Locke is the "sucker" PT Barnum was talking about 

[Geronimo Jackson]

Miklei the one eyed guy said that  with the anamolyt he beacon was destroyed, the sub could leave but could not come back with the beacon not working

[LostGirlDeb]

Miklei the one eyed guy said that  with the anamolyt he beacon was destroyed, the sub could leave but could not come back with the beacon not working

Yes I know but my question was, why is the submarine the only way off the island.  Why not the boat? or even Des's sail boat?
The way Ben put it last night, was that if Locke blows the sub it will ruin the "ilusion" of them being able to leave leaving us with the conclusion that the only way to leave the island was the submarine.

[Geronimo Jackson]

Miklei the one eyed guy said that  with the anamolyt he beacon was destroyed, the sub could leave but could not come back with the beacon not working

Yes I know but my question was, why is the submarine the only way off the island.  Why not the boat? or even Des's sail boat?
The way Ben put it last night, was that if Locke blows the sub it will ruin the "ilusion" of them being able to leave leaving us with the conclusion that the only way to leave the island was the submarine.

The air drops could have been fromthe submarine and hauled over to the hatch as ben sent some signal.....the sub could have had some special device built by Dharma  along with the radio communications at Flame Station that overrode the anamoly hence the need for the beacon, and why they were able to get new people like Juliet. The purge with Dharma would have been back in the 1980's. Why would they still help?

We know it can leave we now know it can't come back, hence Ben not caring if Locke blew it up.
but what has me still puzzled was Ben's line to Locke back in the hatch "Not even God can find this island so that subamrine was the exception as built by Dharma to get supplies in and out build thebarracks the Others are now living in. 

[BRBob]

Since no one heard a plane and the air drop happens during a lockdown, I'm assuming that there is something special about the air drops.

I don't think the swan was resupplied by airplane at all.

[LostGirlDeb]

I thought the supply/food drops had a parachute attached to them

[casino]

I have begun to doubt the air drop scenario as well.  Sure, there was a parachute attached, but nobody heard a plane.  Now, the plane could have been at an extremely high altitude, but once again we have Ben's statement that no one can see the Island. 

Then again, maybe there is a homing beacon for the airplane that is like the sonar beacon, and they only turn it on when they need an air drop.  Nobody can "see" the island, but they can FIND the Island using the homing beacon. So, maybe the pilots never see the Island with their eyes, and just drop it based on the homing beacon.  They might even think they are just dropping it into the sea.

The other thing I thought about, though, was that it might not have been a parachute, but instead a deflated balloon.  Maybe the balloon was released from some big supply depot on the Island itself, floated to a certain area (by some steering mechanism) and then deflated to drop it at the correct location.  The main depot, then, is resupplied by boat or submarine.

[lost_soul12]

ok so we know that mike and walt left on the boat supposably back home so if they can get home by a boat then why cant ben and the others leave by boat unless they tricked mike and walt

[casino]

I think Ben and the Others CAN leave by boat...they just don't want to for two reasons.  One, they may be seen and questioned, and Two, the can leave but they won't be able to find their way back and they don't want that.

It's not the leaving that's the problem.  It's the finding your way back.  None of the Others seem to want to leave the Island permanently, save for Juliet.

[LostGirlDeb]

OK to make myself clear once again
Ben implied that if the sub blows nobody will be able to LEAVE
He emphasized the fact that the sub provides the "illusion" that lets the others know that there is a way OFF the island.
I already inderstand that the sub cannot come back..(since the sky turned purple blah blah) I understood that during last weeks episode.

So again my only real question is why is the sub the only means that they can use to LEAVE the island
Thanks for all the great feedback some good stuff here that I had not thought of.  Now I have the food drops to worry about on top of it LOL   I always assumed they were dropped from the air....sigh....

[this is some crazy stuff]

this is where i think they werent actually air drops.  This is why the hatch went into lockdown mode, that way you didnt see the "4 wheeler" that pulled it through the jungle and left it there.  I dont actually believe that a plain or helecopter flew over and dropped the food.