Dead Sea

This place can be appreciated with an understanding of a few numbers:

500m below sea level
10x the salt content of the ocean, and thus a density 25% higher than pure water
110 deg F in the surrounding desert

It is up near the top of my list for coolest natural places that I’ve ever been to. You can me floating in one of the pictures (it feels incredibly strange to be so very bouyant). The ground is covered in a thick layer of precipitated salt. As my body moved through the sea, I could see all the salt gradients rippling through the water. I was warned that open cuts or bruises in the water would burn – I didnt have any cuts, but even some chafing around my shorts area from hiking and walking so much from the previous days stung pretty bad!

Above is the free beach we went to in Ein Bokek with free showers, chairs, shade, and even shade in the sea.