Corrected entry: It is clear when Tom Hanks is on top of the island, and when he sees the dead body, and also when he walks around the island, that the fringing reef does not extend all the way round the island. There is therefore no need to launch the raft into the breaking waves, it would be much easier to launch the raft at a place on the island where there are no breakers to contend with. (You can also see this in an aerial shot of the island on page 84 of the book "Nomads of the Wind").
raywest
10th Apr 2002
Cast Away (2000)
Correction: He pretty much had to launch the raft from the location where he built it. It was heavy, the island does not appear to be flat or have open spaces, so he could not have lugged it and all the supplies to a different location. Even if he could, it would risk damaging it. He built the raft where he had the best access to the needed materials.
27th Aug 2001
Cast Away (2000)
Corrected entry: He is on a flight going to the Far East. All the packages have domestic airbills. If they were on international airbills it would not be necessary for him to open the package to see what was inside, a description of the contents would be clearly visible on the airbill.
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Correction: There could be other reasons for other launching sites to be unusable. An inaccessible or particularly rocky beach, for example, or prevailing winds. He couldn't sail the raft into the wind to escape the island.