Why do we float?

Why is it easy to float in the sea?

Floating in the sea is easy, because the salty water that makes it up helps us to do it.

How well I float!

If you know how to swim without a float, surely you have noticed that in the sea your body feels lighter than in the water of the pool. You sink less and you have to make less effort not to go to the bottom, it is as if a force is pushing you to the surface! This mysterious force is neither more nor less than the salt of the sea.

Do you know the Dead Sea?

In salt water, as it is denser, it is easier to float than in fresh water. And the more salt the sea contains, the easier it is to swim without sinking. Imagine that in Asia, on the border of a country called Israel and another called Jordan, there is a sea so salty… that it is impossible to drown! We call this sea the Dead Sea.

Beware: salt plays tricks

In Senegal, an African country, there is a very beautiful lake full of salt: it is the Pink Lake. When you do the plank on the Pink Lake, you can raise your arms high without sinking. It’s a lot of fun, but you can’t stay in the water for long because your skin can end up itching.

Likewise, it is impossible to navigate in the Dead Sea, since the salt corrodes the hull of ships. As you can see, salt water offers not only benefits, but also drawbacks such as itchy eyes and skin. Remember that, after a bath in the sea, it is necessary to wash well with fresh water.