Exploring the Lowest Point on Earth by Boat 4

“The changes being documented can be vividly seen over the course of weeks or even days. Scientists are now saying that if something isn't done immediately, all that will remain of the Dead Sea in the near future will be a small pool of salt water. “

I have always loved the mystic and spiritual Dead Sea in Israel - at the lowest place on earth. The Dead Sea is known for being one of the saltiest water bodies on earth, and has unique geographical, historical, geological, religious, and health-promoting significance.

I have spent the last decade photographing all over the world and working in Israel as a photojournalist, documenting the human drama in Sderot - on the Gaza border. Now I am blessed with the opportunity to document this enchanted place, which has been nominated as a one of seven wonders of the world.

Since April 2016, I have been documenting the treasures of the Dead Sea, gathering evidence of new, dramatic geological phenomena and measuring the constantly falling water level. My mission is to share the incredible beauty of this World Heritage site, while sounding the alarm about how quickly the sea is vanishing before our very eyes.

By April 2017, the water level had fallen a full 1. 58 meters! It was shocking and alarming to witness how fast the Dead Sea is shrinking, with water levels currently being at their lowest in recorded history.

Twice a month I organize small international and Israeli delegations to go out with me on the only exploration boat in Northern Dead Sea, so they can experience the incredible landscape and participate in documenting the water level and shore profiles. We get off the boat to walk on exotic salt beaches that didn’t exist even weeks ago.

The beaches and formations still surrounded by water are treasures of this mysterious salty sea.These salt treasures can be found in many shapes and layer formations: Salt mosaic carpets, salt pearls, salt diamonds, salt stalactite, preserved salt caves and salt chimneys- a geological phenomenon in the Dead Sea that was discovered by scientists only five years ago.

With all this natural beauty and magic comes the tragic part of the story.

Once any treasure is no longer covered by the water, it dries out under the sun and eventually crumbles and disappears:

In the 20th century the water level of the Dead Sea went down over 35 meters and today it is minus 430 meters below sea level.

The estimated yearly gap between water going into the Dead Sea and water going out is a staggering figure of 600 million cubic meters which are evaporated each year, that’s over 1.5 million cubic meters of water a day or 600 Olympic size swimming pools emptied out every day.

The estimated costs of direct damage sum up to 90 million US dollars a year.

Up to 700 sinkholes appear each year near the shores of the western shores of the Dead Sea - with an estimated 6,000 sinkholes in total, wreaking havoc on transportation.

Scientist are saying that by the year 2050, only a little pool of salt will remain.

What is the main cause of all this?

Many blame the Israeli and Jordanian factories in the Southern Dead Sea, which are pumping up huge amounts of water from the Northern Dead Sea. This is of course something that must be addressed, but the latest research studies suggest that only 30% of the problem is due to industrial processes.

The other 70% of the problem is due to the dwindling natural flow of water to the Dead Sea. The Jordan River has been known to reach between 70-100 meters across . Today is only 2.5 meters wide. This is due to the many dams supporting agriculture, mostly in Jordan, but also in Israel - and to not getting enough flow from Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), where water levels are falling to the point that pumping for drinking water may become impossible.

So advocating for ‘Saving the Dead Sea’ must involve promoting the rehabilitation of the historical and national water resources of Israel that can also serve the neighboring countries needing fresh water.

We need to think about the next generation and preserving the heritage of the Land of Israel. We need to care for what we want to hand over to them, including a more peaceful Middle East, where freshwater resources can be shared. Indeed, cooperating and compromising in order to ensure fresh water to everyone in the region can in itself promote peace.

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