Floating in the Dead Sea has always intrigued us. We had read and heard about it, but now we were there to experience it in person.
It’s really true that people float here: if you throw yourself into the water you will not sink, not even if you try to. You also cannot swim, simply because it’s impossible. Just float. It is a miracle of the Dead Sea, where the concentration of salt is so high that the bodies stand on the water with no effort at all.
In the past, rivers and streams – especially the river Jordan – poured their sweet waters into the Dead Sea. Since this lake is a closed basin, the only way out for water is evaporation. This way, the mineral salts dissolved in the water and carried by the rivers accumulate, making the Dead Sea saltier than the oceans. This high level of salinity made impossible the survival of larger organisms such as fish and frogs.
Over the years, the water levels have gradually dropped below sea level, which is why the Dead Sea is in the deepest depression on Earth. Its levels continue to decrease more rapidly, up to the point that it is thought that sooner or later, in the medium to long term, it will disappear. Right at the south end, near the cave of Lot, you will reach its lowest point, -408 meters below sea level. According to the Bible, it is the place where Lot, Abraham’s nephew, took shelter from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
To take a bath here, there are some simple rules to follow, such as entering the water backward and then letting yourself go (or float…). You just need to be careful on where you step, the high amount of salt forms crystals on the rocks, which are particularly sharp.
On the shore, there are large containers of mud to massage your skin and make it soft. It is one of the many miracles of this sea, whose water has been considered therapeutic for hundreds of years: this is why it is considered also a wellness destination.
As a consequence, the coasts are populated by numerous, beautiful spas where you can pamper yourself for a few days and indulge in these special treatments based on water and mud.
