Building a base can be hard on a public survival level when every area is taken, and all the good hiding spots are taken as well. This is why I suggest to make a base in the middle of the ocean, and save up for a region claim. (Find more about this on the server or server's website) This way no one can find you, and your items are more protected even without a region claim, just be sure to /sethome first!
My base is very small compared to most ocean platforms out there on the server, but it does give me the resources I need without having to go out and explore, gaining the risk of losing my items and such. Knowing how to build automatic farms helps greatly, but very basic knowledge of farming is all you need to survive on this level. One thing that you don't get from a water base is mining, which is why I made a tube down to the ocean floor (to the right of my sugar cane pool) that way I can get mining resources without going far. Although, out in the ocean by the time you get to the bottom you are already to bedrock which is where tunneling comes in handy.
Here is my simple automatic cactus farm design. At the bottom is a stream of water that carries the drops to a row of hoppers on the opposing end.
That is all I have for this post, I only had a few things on my mind to share but next time I will have a bit more. Remember to follow and comment! What did you think of today's blog? Let me know below.