Home » Travel » Asia » Jordan » What I Wore to Float in the Dead Sea (Jordan)

What I Wore to Float in the Dead Sea (Jordan)

A woman sits on a pebbled shoreline of the Dead See, dipping her feet in the blue salty water. She's wearing flip flops, a red and white striped one-piece bathing suit, a hat and sunglasses.

What Should (or Shouldn’t) You Wear to Float in the Dead Sea?

I took a risk with what I wore to float in the Dead Sea while we were in Jordan. If you remember my blog post about the Dead Sea from when we were in Israel, you’ll know that wearing such a light-colored or brightly-colored swimsuit is risky business!

The reason you wouldn’t want to wear a brightly colored swimsuit…or ya know, a red and white swimsuit is because of the high salt content in the Dead Sea. It’s one of the world’s saltiest bodies of water with 33.7% salinity – on average, ocean water is only 3.5% salinity!

A woman with short brown hair and sunglasses floats in blue murky water. Her head. shoulders, and feet float about the surface of the water.
All that salt! That’s why you float!

All of this salt can fade your new brightly colored swimsuit like nobody’s business. However, I was on a mission to prove that my other Esther Williams swimsuits could hold up to the oh-so-dangerous-to-swimsuits Dead Sea! And this one DIDN’T fade one bit. Both of my Esther Williams swimsuits survived the Dead Sea no problem!

The Dead Sea Mud: Dangerous for Light-Colored Swimsuits!

A young women stands next to a large box filled with mud. She's wearing a white and red striped swimsuit and has Dead Sea mud spread all over her arms and legs.

*I’ve also done an entire post on why I love Esther Williams swimwear so much + a bunch of different adventures I’ve worn them on! They are incredibly high-quality swimsuits! And no, I’m not sponsored by them. I just really like their swimwear!

Another reason, though, why you wouldn’t want to wear a lightly colored swimsuit…is because you’re going to be slathering yourself in black mud.

However, I was super careful and didn’t get any of the mud on my swimsuit! That being said, when you come to the Dead Sea…it’s a better idea to wear a black or dark-colored swimsuit for this reason. That mud could have really done a number!

A woman wades into ankle-deep water on the shoreline of the Dead Sea. The water is a murky brown. She's wearing a red and white stripped one-piece swimsuit and has Dead Sea mud spread on her arms and legs.
I didn’t go too crazy with the mud, though…

At the Dead Sea Spa Resort in Jordan, they provided this lovely mud for us. But if you remember from my last Dead Sea post in Israel, we were actually scooping the stuff out of the bottom of the sea and slathering it on. It wasn’t as dark in color either – so, that’s why I was a little bolder in my swimsuit choice. (I thought I knew what I was doing!) The bottom of the sea here, though, was filled with little pebbles and no mud to speak of.

What Kind of Shoes to Wear at The Dead Sea in Jordan

A woman stands at the shoreline of the Dead Sea, on a pebbled beach. The water is a clear blue and drifts up over her feet. She's wearing black flip flops, a red and white striped bathing suit, sunglasses, and a beige hat, and smiling at the camera with her hands posed on her hips.

For this reason, it was also a good idea to wear flip-flops. Those pebbles were hot and not terribly comfortable to be walking around on barefoot! My Hari Mari flip-flops also held up remarkably well, despite the hell I’m sure all of the salt put them through!

A close up image of a woman's feet on a pebbled beach. She's wearing black flip flops.
My flip flops are quite durable too!

What Kind of Swimwear is Acceptable in Jordan?

As I mentioned in my last Jordan post too, it’s totally fine to wear whatever kind of swimsuit you are comfortable in when you are staying at a Dead Sea resort. I’m only wearing a one-piece because I happen to like vintage-inspired swimwear – not because you need to make an effort to dress modestly while floating in the Dead Sea! A bikini or Speedo is totally fine at the resorts here.

A young woman sits on the pebbled shoreline of the Dead Sea in Jordan, her feet dipped in the crystal blue water. She's wearing a red and white stripped swimsuit, sunglasses, and a hat, and is smiling as she looks over her shoulder.

However, if you’re venturing off your Dead Sea resort to do some exploring, then read my other post about outfit ideas to wear in Jordan.

I have another post all about the do’s and don’ts of floating in the Dead Sea.

Click here to see all of my blog posts about Jordan.

What swimsuit would you wear for the Dead Sea? Let me know in the comments!

Shop My Look! Where to Find What I Wore to Float in the Dead Sea in Jordan:

Swimsuit: Esther Williams
Flip Flops: c/o* Hari Mari (Size up a full size!)
Earrings: Etsy
Hat: Nordstrom (Similar here & here)
Sunglasses: Similar here

Travel Insurance

It’s a good idea, no matter where your adventure takes you, to have travel insurance. You never know what might happen! Whether you get sick before your trip and can’t go, or you become sick or injured while on your adventure – being covered with travel insurance is a must. Some credit card companies do provide this service (check with yours), or you can get a quote from companies such as Squaremouth to find the best plan for you and your adventure. (This is the company I personally use. They are even recommended by Forbes!) Get a free quote from Squaremouth here.

Visa Requirements

Check if your country requires a Visa for traveling to Jordan.

A collage of two stacked images of a woman visiting the Dead Sea in Jordan. Text in the middle of the image reads "What I wore to float in the dead sea"
If you liked it – Pin it!

*Disclosure: some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Have Clothes, Will Travel gets a very small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible! I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

*c/o = courtesy of, meaning the company gave me the product to be used on my blog, and I did not pay for it. All opinions are my own, and I am not being compensated for a positive review.

8 Comments

  1. This was an interesting post, Lindsey! I loved that you did go bold with the swimsuit choice even though you suggested not to do it for others. But, who listens to their own advice, right? Looking forward to reading more from your blog! 🙂

    1. Aw, thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. Haha, and that’s right! Who listens to their own advice anyway? Do as I say, not as I do.

  2. That’s so interesting how the saline would fade the swim suit!! I wouldn’t have thought of that.
    XOXO
    Jodie

    1. I think any amount of salt or chemical can contribute to fading overtime – but with SO much of it in here, it can really be a problem if you have a new bright swimsuit you’d rather keep looking new for longer than one wear, haha.

  3. I would love to visit the Dead Sea! I didn’t know salt could fade swimsuits this is good to keep in mind. This brand sounds so good, I will have to check it out.

    1. I think in most cases, it would take a while to notice fading from the ocean. However, here there is SO much salt it can really expedite the process, haha.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.