Where it is impossible to drown. Which sea is the easiest to drown in?
Such a sea exists in a country known to mankind since ancient times. This is the famous Dead Sea of Palestine. Its waters are unusually salty, so much so that not a single living creature can live in them. The hot, rainless climate of Palestine causes a strong evaporation of water from the surface of the sea. But it only evaporates pure water, the dissolved salts remain in the sea and increase the salinity of the water. That is why water Dead Sea contains not 2 or 3 percent salt (by weight), like most seas and oceans, but 27 percent or more; salinity increases with depth. So, the fourth part of the contents of the Dead Sea are salts dissolved in its water. The total amount of salts in it is estimated at 40 million tons.
The high salinity of the Dead Sea determines one of its features: the water of this sea is much heavier than ordinary sea water. It is impossible to drown in such a heavy liquid: the human body is lighter than it.
The weight of our body is noticeably less than the weight of an equal volume of thickly salty water and, therefore, according to the law of swimming, a person cannot drown in the Dead Sea; it floats in it, as a chicken egg floats in salt water (which sinks in fresh water)
The humorist Mark Twain, who visited this lake-sea, describes with comical detail the extraordinary sensations that he and his companions experienced while swimming in the heavy waters of the Dead Sea:
“It was a fun swim! We couldn't drown. Here you can stretch out on the water at full length, lying on your back and folding your arms over your chest, with most of the body remaining above the water. At the same time, you can completely raise your head ... You can lie very comfortably on your back, raising your knees to your chin and clasping them with your hands - but you will soon turn over, as your head outweighs. You can stand on your head - and from the middle of the chest to the end of the legs you will remain out of the water, but you will not be able to maintain this position for a long time. You cannot swim on your back, moving any noticeably, because your legs stick out of the water and you have to push off only with your heels. If you are swimming face down, then you are not moving forward, but backward. The horse is so unstable that it can neither swim nor stand in the Dead Sea - it immediately lies on its side.
In the drawing you see a man quite comfortably positioned on the surface of the Dead Sea; the large specific gravity of the water allows him to read a book in this position, protecting himself with an umbrella from the burning rays of the sun.
A man on the surface of the Dead Sea (from a photograph).
The water of Kara-Bogaz-Gol (the bay of the Caspian Sea and no less salty water Lake Elton, containing 27% salts.
Something of this kind is experienced by those patients who take salt baths. If the salinity of the water is very high, as, for example, in Starorussky mineral waters, then the patient has to make a lot of effort to stay at the bottom of the bath. I heard a woman treated in Staraya Russa complain indignantly that the water "positively pushed her out of the bath." It seems that she was inclined to blame not the law of Archimedes, but the administration of the resort ...
The degree of salinity of water in different seas varies somewhat, and, accordingly, ships do not sit equally deep in sea water. Perhaps some of the readers happened to see on board the ship near the waterline the so-called "Lloyd's mark" - a sign showing the level of limiting waterlines in water of various densities. For example, the load line shown in the following figure indicates the level of the limiting waterline:
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load line on board the ship. Brand designations are made at the waterline level. For clarity, they are also shown separately in an enlarged form. The meaning of the letters is explained in the text.
In our country, these stamps have been introduced as mandatory since 1909.
Let us note in conclusion that there is a variety of water, which, even in its pure form, without any impurities, is noticeably heavier than ordinary water; its specific gravity is 1.1, i.e., 10% more than ordinary; consequently, in a pool of such water, a person who could not even swim could hardly drown. Such water was called "heavy" water; its chemical formula is D 2 O (the hydrogen in its composition consists of atoms, twice as heavy as ordinary hydrogen atoms, and is denoted by the letter D). "Heavy" water is dissolved in an insignificant amount in ordinary water: in a bucket of drinking water it contains about 8 g.
7 not allowed in the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea is the largest spa in the world. After a few days, the skin becomes velvety, the body is relaxed, and the mood is upbeat (there is indeed a high content of soothing bromide in the air, from which even hypochondriacs begin to smile). How can you resist the temptation to go for beauty and health!
But so that the mood from being on the Dead Sea does not suddenly deteriorate, you should know the rules of behavior on the local beaches and especially in the water.
So, 7 tips for those who are going to the Dead Sea.
1. Don't dive
The water contains 10 times more salt than a normal sea. One can only guess what pain the water in the eyes will cause. If it does happen, you need to urgently run to a nearby shower, which on official beaches is usually located right by the water.
2. Do not swallow
According to the rules, if a person took a sip of water from the Dead Sea, he should immediately contact the rescuers. This is, perhaps, one such place in the world where lifeguards provide assistance not to drowning people, but simply to those who have taken a sip of water.
3. Don't shave
For men, this, of course, is not applicable, since they are unlikely to dip their heads in water. But women who decide to shave their legs or, even worse, their bikini area, can pay for this with unbearable pain - any abrasion will be burned out with salt mercilessly.
4. Do not enter the water barefoot
This applies to those beaches where the coast is not sandy or muddy. Salt deposits and stones can cause those same cuts and abrasions. It is better to take closed shoes; if necessary, you can buy it here on the beach.
5. Don't enter quickly
The water resistance here is high, so due to inexperience, due to a frenzied approach, you can lose your balance and easily throw yourself into the water with your head, and even splash, so that others will suffer. There is no need to go far - just lean on the water and it will pick you up.
6. Don't take silver
In salt water, it will quickly turn black. By the way, it can fade even due to the high salt content in the air.
7. Don't wear a new swimsuit
The colors will wash out very quickly. After dipping, it is better to rinse the bathing suit thoroughly, otherwise it will be very difficult to remove salt stains later.
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The sea is located just 10 kilometers from Jerusalem. As soon as the city ends, the road immediately begins to go sharply down. Ears pawn often and perceptibly. And no wonder, because phenomenal natural wonder located more than 400 meters below sea level. It is alleged that this is the place where two continents - Eurasia and Africa - break apart, moving away from each other. The Dead Sea gradually descends into the formed fault. His eventual fate is total extinction.
The road to the sea runs through a real desert. We, as was said, were very lucky that there was no dry wind. According to eyewitnesses, then it is completely impossible to breathe (especially for asthmatics) from columns of salt dust. To be honest, looking out the bus window at a rather bleak landscape, where only occasionally came across wrecked Bedouins, the first thing that comes to mind is the question of what people are fighting for here. There is nothing! The Jews joke that Moses led them through the desert for 40 years with the sole purpose of finally finding a place where there is no oil.
The sea is not striking in size. The opposite shore, which already belongs to Jordan, is clearly visible. The entire infrastructure for a holiday on the Dead Sea is located there, on the Israeli side there are only more or less ennobled beaches. But in Jordan there is one minus. The mud gradually hardens, there it is actually petrified. In Israel, numerous "dirty little hands" do not allow it to freeze. The water surface, however, is very deceptive because of this. Under water, there are quite impressive (and in some places deep) funnels everywhere. These are the places of recent "extraction" of the product. You can rattle very seriously. And I really don't want to get my face wet. Getting on the mucous membranes, the salt "makes you laugh." Needs to be washed off immediately. clean water, since there are enough showers on the beach.
The safest way to move through the water is to lie on your stomach and move your hands along the bottom. If your hands do not reach the bottom, then row lightly. One thing but ... If the bottom is far away, then it is unlikely that it will be possible to stand up. At least I didn't succeed. Short attempts ended with a loss of coordination and salt getting into all the unwanted places. I had to row to the shore much faster, and along the shore to the soul to ride with a decent gait.
Dirt is amazing and fun. According to the initiates, a certain archeobacteria, which has survived to this day from time immemorial, makes it healing. It is the only living organism found here. It spreads well, the skin does not pull when it dries. It rinses off just as well. Water at the same time lingers on the skin and resembles glycerin. The feeling of such a SPA is awesome. It's funny to watch how a crowd of people first picks a real kaku out of the water with concentration. Then he smears it with concentration and walks proudly in it. And the flush also strokes itself for a long time and with pleasure in all conceivable and inconceivable places. And the pleasure is beyond words!
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| Bathing takes place under the vigilant eye of the guard. |
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| "Production" is coming. Everything you pick up is yours! One such piece, by the way, now lives in my bathroom. |
You can drown in any body of water if you're not lucky. Even experienced swimmers sometimes die, unable to cope with a strong current. Russia, as you know, is washed by the waters of 15 seas, if we count together with the Caspian Sea, which some researchers define as a huge lake. Not all water bodies are suitable for swimming climatic features our country. However, every year many careless tourists die during summer holidays. So in which of the Russian seas is it easiest to drown?
dangerous currents
The greatest threat to swimmers is the reverse currents that occur from time to time near the shore. This phenomenon in English is called rip current. Such flows are also dangerous for people who know how to swim well, not to mention the bulk of tourists. Most Russians don't know what to do when caught in a current that carries away from the shore.
Especially often, rip currents occur in shallow waters with gently sloping banks that border sandy spits and islands. Therefore, the warm and gentle Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is sometimes fraught with a real threat.
Just at low tide, the water does not leave the coast gradually, in some places this natural process is delayed by shallows and sand bars. When the tide begins, the pressure of the water increases, and a reverse flow forms near the shore - a kind of fast river inside the sea. Such a current moves at a speed of up to 3 meters per second. A swimmer who gets into it cannot fight with a powerful stream, quickly loses strength and falls into a panic that can end in death.
In no case should you go into the sea, even up to your waist, if you see a patch of water of a different color, where it boils, foams and clearly moves from the shore. This can keep you out of trouble. But if you are caught in the opposite direction, you should not panic. The fact is that the width of such dangerous sections of the water area usually does not exceed 50 meters. Just don't row to shore, exhausting yourself in the hope of being rescued. Don't fight the flow. Try to swim parallel to the shore to get out of the rip current zone, where you can escape.
Threat level
Reverse currents occur in all seas where there are gentle sandy beaches with strong tides. In Russia, the most dangerous is, as we mentioned above, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov. The local waters are highly dependent on the winds that blow from the northeast, then from the southwest, often changing their direction to the opposite. The currents follow the winds.
The Caspian is also distinguished by strong ebbs and flows. In the area of Dagestan beaches, so many vacationers die every holiday season that there are even rumors among the people about criminal divers who allegedly drown people on purpose in order to then sell their bodies for organs. However, these rumors are regularly refuted by employees of the local department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, who know that the reverse currents are to blame for everyone.
In the Sea of Japan that washes Far East Russia, also quite strong tides - the influence of the Pacific Ocean affects. Sharp fluctuations in the water level can cause powerful currents, so vacationers on popular resorts Primorye should also be careful.
The Black Sea should not be discounted, the surface waters of which are constantly in motion under the influence of winds. In addition, there are as many gently sloping sandy beaches with shallows and islets as in the neighboring Azov.
Perhaps the most calm of all the seas washing Russia can be called the Baltic. Here it is best to learn to swim for those tourists who have not yet mastered this useful skill. The excitement of the water in the Baltic is insignificant, and the slow tides, lasting from 12 hours to a day, change the coast line by no more than 20 centimeters. True, the obvious disadvantage of this sea is the low water temperature: even in summer it does not warm up above +20°C.
"Light" water
Despite dangerous currents sea water, as a rule, literally "pushes" the human body to the surface. And the more salts dissolved in it, the safer bathing. For example, in the Dead Sea, located on the territory of Israel, it is impossible to drown for this very reason. However, not all Russian seas are salty enough to make swimming in them relatively safe. In some of them, the water is so “light” that it can even be considered almost as fresh as in rivers and lakes.
Unfortunately, the Baltic is seriously inferior to other seas in this indicator. Its water, according to experts, can even be drunk with almost no harm to health. Salinity on the surface is only 2-3%. In such "light" water there is always a danger of drowning.
The Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov is also far from salty. It is 3 times fresher than the Atlantic Ocean, for example. The composition of the local water is poor in chlorine and sodium, but there are many calcium ions, various sulfates and carbonates. Therefore, in the event of an emergency, doctors do not prohibit drinking a little Azov water once.
The Black Sea is slightly saltier than the Sea of Azov, but still not enough to make swimming relatively safe.
The mineralization of the Caspian waters depends on the specific region: the further north, the “lighter” the water. In the south of this sea, each liter can contain from 60 to 100 grams of different salts. However, the Russian coast falls on the northern part of the Caspian Sea, where swimming is just as dangerous as in the Black Sea. The average salinity of the water of the huge lake is 10-11%.
The safest from this point of view is the Sea of Japan. Its mineralization is comparable to the average level of the World Ocean. The degree of salinity varies from 33.7% to 34.3% - this is not much less than in pacific ocean. So for residents and guests of Primorye, swimming does not pose a big threat, the water there is “heavy” enough to push the human body to the surface.
Bottom relief
Despite the possibility of dangerous currents and the “lightness” of water, the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov has its advantages. Its underwater terrain is quite safe. Flat beaches, consisting of sand or small shell rock, pass under water into gentle plains. A sea depth of 5 meters is only reached at a distance of 2 km from the coastline.
The Baltic sandy beaches are also safe for this indicator. The bottom here is mostly flat. Its relief becomes rocky and dangerous only in the north of the reservoir, where there are no resort areas.
The Black Sea has been well explored by generations Russian tourists. Its bottom is also relatively safe. Northern part coast, washing Russia, has a wide shelf strip, where the water depth is rather small. But the southern and eastern beaches of the Black Sea, located in Turkey and Georgia, have a steeper slope, and the bottom topography there can be cut by underwater canyons. However, off the coast of Crimea and Krasnodar Territory the depth of the sea increases quite sharply when compared with the Azov. So, already 2 km from the coast, a mark of 500 meters can be overcome.
Relief of the underwater part Sea of Japan characterized by heterogeneity. Here four lithospheric plates "meet" at once: North American, Pacific, Eurasian and Philippine. Therefore, at the bottom there are several large basins and ridges. Bathing should be done carefully. Already near the coast, steep slopes can begin in some places.
As you can see, it is difficult to name one particular sea as the most suitable for swimming. There are pitfalls (literally) and dangers everywhere. During the holidays, tourists should take into account the peculiarities of each of the seas.
I would like to warn you about the real dangers that can thoroughly ruin your vacation on one of the strangest and most mysterious seas on the ground.
First, I’ll tell you about the sea itself, the coast of which is 416 meters below the level of the oceans. The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, and not so long ago it itself was connected to the Indian Ocean. The sea is becoming shallow before our eyes and it is already being seriously spoken about the possible death of this wonder of the world. But while the sea is alive, people enjoy relaxing on its shores. However, uninformed or self-confident tourists are in danger.
So, geographically, the Dead Sea belongs to the basin indian ocean- the birthplace of many secrets, fairy tales and unsolved myths.
There are no fish in it, there is no natural vegetation around it. Even the ultraviolet radiation of the tropical Sun loses its scorching power, allowing the most careless vacationers to sunbathe with impunity for 2-3 hours. But still, I do not advise you to take this information on faith and not tempt fate.
Protective cream, light clothing, comfortable shoes and sunglasses will not be out of place.
For those who are going to go to the Dead Sea even for one day, there will be more than enough stress for the body: quite tiring swimming in oily, incredibly salty water, hydrogen sulfide hot baths, radon showers, powerful mud procedures, freshwater pool ...
If the time of swimming in the Dead Sea is limited by natural fatigue, then it is advisable to control the time of hydrogen sulfide and mud baths by the clock that is hung everywhere. The usual recommendation for healthy people with a healthy heart is no more than 10-15 minutes for each procedure.
Older people, of course, cannot do without the advice of a doctor. Experience shows that moderate treatments are so invigorating that you will stay in great shape for a long time. Enumeration of procedures in order to "accumulate life-giving force" guarantees you subsequent discomfort - heaviness, headache and other "charms" of excess.
I advise those people who have skin problems to stay at the Dead Sea for more than one day. A day trip will be enough for young and energetic people - on the second day you will simply be bored. There are many other places in Israel that are also must-sees!
Now for some tips on precautions!
Nothing is so cheap, and nothing is so precious as good advice. I would like to warn about the real dangers that can thoroughly spoil the rest of both the vacationer and the surrounding public. The safety precautions are simple and can be outlined in a few paragraphs.
1. The sea is constantly receding, leaving behind strips of unsteady mud, covered with a deceptively hard crust. Walk only along the marked paths so as not to fall into the black mess.
2. The water in the Dead Sea is extremely caustic. Bathe in such a way that splashes do not get into your eyes or those around you. The consequences of this are very painful and traumatic.
3. If trouble has already happened and water has got into your eyes (feelings are very unpleasant), immediately rinse them in fresh water, the taps from which are located near the shore. By the way, this is one of the reasons not to swim far.
4. The assertion that it is impossible to drown in the Dead Sea due to the high density of water is a myth. Otherwise, what would rescuers with binoculars on the tower do?
5. The time of mud procedures and radon baths should be dosed - 10-15 minutes for each procedure. Instructions in 4 languages, including Russian, are posted everywhere. Clock too.
6. If you are committed to extreme tourism, then be very careful when walking from the main highway to the coast. The receding sea leaves voids behind it, covered by an outwardly hard crust. Do not tempt fate, do not walk through the minefield! Only on official beaches can you feel safe. Be sure to take a decent supply of water - both for a plentiful drink and for a plentiful shower after swimming.
7. And the last - for those who came on a one-day excursion. When you get a number with a key to the locker, put it on your wrist and do not take it off - neither in the water nor on land. Its loss can overshadow a serene rest and deprive of the charm that this grandiose wonder of the world gives to everyone.