How It Works

Why do we float in the Dead Sea?

- Matthew Mason

The key to this strange phenomenon is the high level of mineral salt within the Dead Sea. In fact, sitting at roughly 31.5 per cent, the Dead Sea has a salinity roughly ten times that of a standard ocean. The consequenc­es of this are twofold: firstly, no water-dwelling creature or plant can survive in the Dead Sea, and secondly, humans can float due to its high density compared to our average mass. Simply put, the Dead Sea’s high salt content has the effect of making the human body more buoyant.

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