So much has been said and written about the Dead Sea that it seems there is nothing more to add. But, it is one thing to read and listen, and quite another to see everything with your own eyes and feel with every cell of your body. Coming to Israel and not visiting the Dead Sea is nonsense and this cannot be by definition.
First you need to know that the Dead Sea is actually a large salt lake with absolutely “dead”, but very “alive” water. Rest at the Dead Sea is a renewal, prevention and treatment of the body, which means that swimming in the sea should be treated as a pleasant, but still a healing procedure that requires certain rules and caution.
Tourist groups bring to the sea for one day, mainly from 10-11 o’clock in the afternoon to 16-17 o’clock, t.e. at the hottest time. If the summer in Israel is far from cool, then in the desert, where the Salt Sea is located, the heat is completely impossible. As soon as you step out of the cool, air-conditioned bus, you immediately find yourself in a real sauna. Hot, vibrating from 40-50 degree heat, the air of the desert near the sea acquires an almost tangible density, and the sun is so bright that it blinds even through the darkest glasses. Although it is believed that ultraviolet radiation loses its harmful effect in the Dead Sea area, it is still better to constantly be in the shade, located on the shore of protective canopies and umbrellas, because you can get burned and overheat with incredible speed, especially during the hottest time of the day.
Now about the Dead Sea itself, the concentration of salts in which is almost 10 times greater than in one of the most salty seas – the Mediterranean. Transparent water, outwardly beautiful blue or green, due to high density, a rare jelly, which is sometimes hidden in a light haze due to constant evaporation and clearly smells of salt and gray. The Dead Sea is the only sea in the world where you can’t splash, swim in various styles, dive, etc.D.
You must go into the sea very carefully, gradually, because the sea constantly retreats, drying and leaving a hard crust of hardened salt with sharp edges and irregularities, walking on which is not the most pleasant occupation. True, there are magnificent sandy beaches near expensive hotels, but not everyone is lucky to get there. And the value of the sea and famous mud in those places where there are no hotels and less civilization. The best option is to purchase swimming slippers or enter the sea in the floods and shoot them already in water. It is probably unnecessary to remind you that you should not rush into the water with a running start and try to dive. Firstly, you won’t be able to do this, and secondly, if water gets into your eyes, it will be very, very painful, not to mention the burn of the cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eye. For the same reason, do not try to splash while in the water, swim carefully. Believe me, in this water it’s hard enough to even roll over from your stomach to your back, so at a shallow depth there are thick ropes that you can hold on to and maintain balance. The easiest way is to be in the water in a standing position and lying on your back, when you can slowly move (in the Dead Sea this will be called swimming) moving your arms and legs. Do not try to swim “at speed”! It is absolutely impossible to swim fast here, but you can calmly “walk” on the water.
Do not stay in the water for more than 15 minutes, because the therapeutic effect can turn into a complete opposite, and you are unlikely to enjoy bathing for longer under the scorching rays of the sun in a saline solution. The water of the Dead Sea is healing for the body and the body as a whole, but if you have fresh wounds or scratches on your body, then it’s better to wait with an excursion to the sea, because you don’t have to “rub salt on the wound”, it will hurt.
And, of course, you don’t have to remember your childhood and try to urinate into the water (there are toilets on the shore!), if you do not want to get a mucosal burn along with wild pain.
Along with bathing, you can smear yourself with the healing mud of the Dead Sea. Here, too, you need to be careful and not overdo it (the duration of the procedure is no more than 15 minutes), especially if you still want to take a hydrogen sulfide bath, enjoy the jacuzzi bath, and then swim in the fresh water pool. Choose no more than two, maximum three procedures throughout the day, otherwise your body will simply not stand it and beg for mercy, and the entire therapeutic effect will go to waste.
And lastly, do not forget to constantly drink water, because in this heat the body dehydrates very quickly and imperceptibly.
