Dead Sea - Dunk in Dead

Ouch ouch ouch!” jumping from one toe to the other I struggled to open my eyes. But I hardly could as the jolt of burning sensation slaughtered my eyes and my vision blurred. Immediately the man who had just warned me stepped in to help. Guiding me to a tap and ordering me to splash some cool fresh water. Aaah what a relief!

Not five minutes had passed that he had warned me not to let any water into my eyes. And here I was trying my best to regain my focus on what lay in front of me. With this as my first experience of the Dead Sea, I could feel my confidence in splashing around dwindling (note I am a regular swimmer). Despite the fact that one can neither drown nor swim in the Dead Sea I was apprehensive.

When seen on the map, the Dead Sea appears as a tiny speck of blue bordering Jordan and Israel. But once here you will realise you are seeing a natural wonder of the world. With a rugged terrain of low-lying rocky mountains on the other side, you might not get the feeling of being at the ‘Sea’. But nonetheless, it is. Being over 3 million years old, the lowest point on earth and having references in the Bible is no small feat! And here you are where the water is as still as it could be. With no waves no surf, there is a hushed chastity to the place.

Drinking into the panoramic view of the surrounding area, it took me a while to build up enough courage to slip into the water. Standing at knee-deep level, I cupped my hands to collect some of the water. I could see it was clear but had a different texture to it. The high salinity and high mineral content of the water rendered it if I may say ‘slippery.’ Yes! Slippery water! That is what it was.

Lowering my body and adjusting to my pre-owned knowledge of swimming I soon started to float. Now mind you all swimmers out there, floating in a normal swimming pool and this is way different. You will realize it as soon as you hit the waters. Unfortunately one cannot stay too long in the waters but whatever time you are in there floating around, feel the weightlessness, stare back into the wide sky above and remember to live before you actually die.