A Visit to the Lowest Point on Earth
24 June 2008 | Dead Sea, Israel
by Capts. Dave and Desiree
As we have toured the Middle East we have tried to hit as many highlights as we could. However, the options are endless, and we did not want to miss the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. It was impressive to see the monument identifying sea level, but even more so was the view beyond showing the valley deepening further into the depths of the gorge.
The Dead Sea is actually a large lake, sixty-five kilometers long, eighteen kilometers wide and four hundred twelve meters deep. The coasts are shared by both Israel and Jordan with a peaceful border shared down the middle. Ryan and Wesley were excited to learn that the sea was created by a shift of tectonic plates called the "Syrian-African Rift." They always get thrilled when they see the practical aspects of their recent home school/Cabrillo Middle School education.
The water of the Dead Sea is a hypertonic solution. As you can see by the photo, floating on our backs was effortless. In fact, the lifeguards encouraged you to keep this position, and blew the whistle if you didn't. If you lowered your legs, it was a bit of an effort to raise them back up. We figured the lifeguards had to deal with all types of tourists, so they had a limited tolerance and were rigid about safety.
We enjoyed our dip.....the only thing lacking was a cold glass of? We had the perfect lounge chair position.