Float In The Dead Sea

Floating in the Dead Sea was one of the experiences I was looking most forward to while traveling to Jordan.  It looks like any ordinary sea, but in actuality it is quite different.   The salt content is so high that it is almost 9x saltier than the Ocean.  Because of its high salt content it makes it difficult for animals to thrive in the waters, hence it being called the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea borders Jordan to the East and Israel to the West.    It is 34 miles long, and 11 miles wide.  It is also 400 meters below sea level, and the lowest point of land on Earth.

Because of the high salt content it makes it a bit too easy to float....

Before floating in the Dead Sea make sure you don't have any open cuts, and avoid shaving a few days before your visit.  Also do not get the water into your eyes!  My friend was unaware of this and decided to dive in.   It was one of those moments that you can replay in slow motion as my friends and I, and 2 local Jordanian guys were screaming "Nooooooooooooooo!" as he dived in head first.  The shocked look on his face when he emerged out of the water was priceless.  Needless to say he learned his lesson.

My friend took our photos, and somehow I managed to get ZERO photos of me floating in the Dead Sea.  But some of my friends did it with so much more class that I had to share their photos.  The water felt oily on my skin, but don't be fooled by the calm looking waters. The waves were pretty intense and had us swishing all over the sea.

Then it was time to look like this.....

Because of the high salt and mineral content the dead sea mud apparently has many healing properties.  For a few dollars we paid to rub this black mud all over our body.  It BURNED!! 

We took turns helping each other paint this stuff on our bodies, and we laughed and giggled the entire time.    This was probably the best part of the ENTIRE experience. 

We turned into Dead Sea Mud Monsters, and the Dead Sea version of the Incredible Hulk.  We had caked so much of the mud on us that it took 15 minutes to dry in direct sunlight!  My face was burning, but I patiently waited for the mud to dry.  As the mud dried our bodies became stiffer and stiffer, and I really began to feel like a Monster.

Once the mud dried we had to PAINFULLY walk back into the Dead Sea.  The Dead Sea floor was VERY ROCKY, so it was one of the most painful and unexpected ways of exfoliating the soles of my feet.  It took us another 15 minutes to wash most of it off our bodies.

There was a shower up a hill that we washed the remaining mud off our bodies.  Actually the shower had the slowest trickle, so my friend found a hose and hosed us all down like dogs!  I found small remnants of mud still on me the following 2 days!

If I were to do the experience again I would not apply any of the mud on my face.  The burning feeling I felt on my face was in fact my face being burned!  There was a small dry red patch on my upper cheek that lingered for a few days.

At the top of the resort sits huge beautiful pools.  When we first arrived we didn't understand why ANYONE would want to go into the pool if the Dead Sea was just a few feet away.  Well we understood it after our Dead Sea experience.  The pool was just more relaxing and pain free than the stinging waters of the Dead Sea!

Date Accomplished:  April 4th, 2013