The incredible (and shrinking) Dead Sea

On Friday, I rode the bus with friends to the Dead Sea. It's only about 40 minutes. The bus goes from Central Bus Station in Jerusalem through the West Bank to the north end of the Dead Sea. To get past the Separation Wall the bus travels Highway 1 which goes through a tunnel under the wall. (Curious.) Immediately, the highway descends from the Judean Hills into the Judean Desert. The terrain goes from green to brown and scraggy almost immediately.

We went to a public beach at the north end called Kalia (sometimes Qalya). When you get off the bus, you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. It's just a fifteen minute walk to the beach.

Qalya...to the left

Theresa and Dan

Looking west toward Jerusalem

The beach is public as in it is open to all, but you pay NIS 40 to access the facilities. They have showers, beach chairs, some umbrellas, a cafe, and a bar.

Kalia beach

The "lowest" bar on earth

The Dead Sea looking east to Jordan

The Dead Sea is now some 420 metres below sea level. Forty years ago it was 395 metres. The gif below (taken from Wikipedia) gives a great visual of what's happening to the Dead Sea. The recession of the Sea is likely due to excess withdrawals from the Jordan River (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinians are all co-riparians in the Jordan Basin -- it's complicated) at the northern end.

Image Attribution: I, Hoshana

But, the consequences are clear. You don't need to have been there before to see the recession. You can see that what is now shoreline was clearly previously underwater. And, watch out for sinkholes.

New shoreline (was sea bottom)

Still, the experience of floating in the Dead Sea is pretty fantastic.

Floating in the Dead Sea

And, they say the mud is really therapeutic.  Everyone "lathers up".

Mudding up with Theresa's friend Dan

The really serious folks leave the mud on until it dries and starts to cake and then they scrub it off. Fun fact: apparently you are less likely to burn at the Dead Sea. Somehow being 400 metres below sea level and all those minerals in the air together act as a UV filter. So, all the benefits of the sun and none of the harm? That's some kind of advertisement for tourists who like it hot and sunny.