Descending To The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a hypersaline body of water lying in the Jordan Valley, on the border between Jordan, Israel, and the Westbank. Incidentally, if you want to know where the occupied territory called the Westbank got its name from, it came from its position on the western banks of the Jordan River. The Jordan River is the main source of water flowing into the Dead Sea from north to south, down into the lowest point on Earth.

The Dead Sea's name was derived from the impossibililty of animals to live within its highly saline waters. That high salinity is caused by the extreme heat causing evaporation of the water, compounded by the endorheic nature of the lake. Endorheic is a word meaning that the water in the lake has no outlet for escape, and can only leave the lake by evaporating. Its main tributary is the Jordan River which flows southward into it, but since the volume of the Jordan's flow has been dropping, less water has been reaching the Dead Sea, though water hasn't stopped evaporating. The water level of the lake has dropped significantly during the last century, causing the southern end of the lake to become drained, leaving little other than salt flats.

The high salinity and evaporation provide visitors with an experience like something out of a science fiction movie. The salt flats are reminiscent of the moon's landscape, while the salty waters allow the swimmer to float and experience weightlessness. The extremely high salinity of the water (8.6 times as salty as the ocean!) make it more dense than your body, so it is impossible for you to sink. But all visitors have fun trying to make themselves sink! Something swimmers need to know is that the Dead Sea's water will make your eyes really sting if it enters them, so you need to prevent water from splashing your eyes. If saline water does enter your eyes, you will need some help from another person to pour some fresh water on your eyes and clear them out. On top of that, the salt water will enter every single crevice and scrape or scratch on your whole body. It you have any cuts, wounds, or external infections, then all of those places will hurt when you enter the water. But that is best part of the Dead Sea experience, that freakish shock, and you will indeed benefit from the water's healing characteristics. Even if it stings a little!.

The water's high mineral concentration also makes the mud around the perimeter of the lake full of healthy healing minerals. An integral part of any Dead Sea experience is to lather your entire body with black mud and benefit from its healing minerals. The sea's water itself also contains those minerals, so swimming also brings the visitor those same health benefits.


The Dead Sea is a highlight of any trip to the Middle East, and it is one of those travel experiences you will never forget.

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