Israel is a small country located in the Middle East. The country has a diverse climate with snowy mountains in the north and hot deserts in the south. The Dead Sea between Israel and JOrdan is the lowest point on the Earth’s surface at 1,380 feet below sea level. So what’s it really like to float in the Dead Sea? Here’s what you need to know…

1. The Dead Sea is 10 times saltier than average seawater making it very easy to float.

Moran floating in the Dead Sea 🙂

2. The Dead Sea is getting saltier!

Water entering the lake is rich in minerals, such as salt. As the water evaporates the salt remains. Because there aren’t any rivers that originate from the Dead Sea, the only source of depletion is evaporation – and salt doesn’t evaporate.

So since salt is left behind when the water evaporates, and there is little rainfall, there is an increased salt concentration over time – making it even easier to float!

3. Bordering Israel, Palestine and Jordan the land-locked Dead Sea is the world’s deepest hypersaline lake reaching a mighty depth of 377m.

Don’t get the salty water in your eyes – it really stings!

4. At 423 metres below sea level its surface and shores are located at the world’s lowest point.

Mud bath anyone?

5. The Dead Sea is a healthy place to be!

The Dead Sea’s mineral-rich muds are believed to have many health-giving properties. Thanks to the water’s mineral content, the very low content of pollens (and other allergens in the atmosphere), the reduced ultraviolet component of solar radiation and the higher atmospheric pressure of this low-lying area, the Dead Sea is beneficial to health and is increasingly used for therapeutic and cosmetic purposes.

The Dead Sea

We arrived: by car from Jerusalem through beautiful desert landscapes and departed to Beer-Sheva, the largest city in southern Israel’s Negev desert.