Short answer: Yes, you can go in the Dead Sea, but you do not really swim, you float. The water is roughly ten times as salty as the ocean (about 34 percent) and so dense that it pushes your body to the surface, which makes a normal swimming stroke almost impossible. You lie back and float effortlessly. The one firm rule: keep your face out of the water, because getting it in your eyes, nose, or mouth is painful, and swallowing a meaningful amount is genuinely dangerous.
Why you float instead of swim
The floating is pure physics, not a trick. Dead Sea water has a density of roughly 1.24 grams per cubic centimeter, about 24 percent denser than the human body at around 1.0 grams per cubic centimeter. By Archimedes' principle, only a small submerged volume is needed to support your weight, so most of your body rides above the surface (DeadSea.com). In practice you cannot sink even if you try, and swimming face-down in the usual way is close to impossible.
That density comes from the sheer amount of dissolved salt. The lake's salinity was measured at about 34.2 percent, roughly 9.6 times as salty as the ocean, which makes it one of the saltiest bodies of water on Earth (Wikipedia). The water even feels different in your hands, slightly oily and slick, because those minerals change how it behaves.
Where the Dead Sea sits and what is in it
The Dead Sea is a landlocked salt lake in the Judean Desert, bordered by Jordan to the east, the West Bank to the west, and Israel to the southwest. Its surface sits about 439.78 meters (1,443 feet) below sea level, the lowest dry-land elevation anywhere on Earth, and its shores keep dropping as the lake slowly shrinks (Wikipedia). Standing at the water's edge, you are literally at the lowest point you can reach on foot on the planet.
The dissolved salts are a very different mix from ordinary sea salt. They are mostly magnesium chloride (about 50.8 percent), sodium chloride (about 30.4 percent), calcium chloride (about 14.4 percent), and potassium chloride (about 4.4 percent), plus bromide, which is why the water is described as mineral-rich rather than simply salty (Wikipedia). And the name is literal: the extreme salinity prevents fish, aquatic plants, and other large organisms from living in it, so the lake is "dead" in the biological sense while being very much alive as a natural wonder.
How to float safely
The same buoyancy that makes the Dead Sea a bucket-list experience comes with real rules. Float only on your back, keep your mouth closed, and never dunk your head or float face-down. Swallowing even 100 to 200 milliliters of the water can cause hypermagnesemia, a serious disturbance of heart rhythm and muscle function, and smaller amounts cause nausea and burning (DeadSea.com, Skyhook Adventure). If any gets in your eyes, do not rub them, head straight to the freshwater showers.
A few more habits make the visit comfortable: do not shave or wax for about 24 hours beforehand, and cover any cuts or open wounds, because the hypersaline water stings broken skin intensely. Wear water shoes, since the salt forms sharp crystals underfoot, rinse promptly at the freshwater showers when you come out, and keep each session to roughly 15 to 20 minutes (DeadSea.com). Handled that way, it is a safe, memorable, one-of-a-kind experience.
Bringing the Dead Sea minerals home
Those same minerals are what draw wellness visitors year after year. Mud packs and mineral bathing at Dead Sea resorts have a long reputation for soothing skin and helping conditions such as psoriasis, though it is fair to treat those as comfort benefits rather than guaranteed cures, and to check with a doctor for any medical condition. You do not have to fly to the Judean Desert to feel the difference, though. Our Dead Sea collection brings the mud, salts, and mineral-rich skincare straight to your bathroom.
From mineral mud and bath salt to face serums and moisturizers, every product in the collection is built around the magnesium- and potassium-heavy minerals that make this lake unlike any other. It is the easiest way to keep a little of Israel's most famous natural wonder in your daily routine, long after the float is over.
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Last updated July 2026.
