“Oh my God I can’t believe it, a lifeguard at the Dead Sea?!”
Muhammad – “I’ve been a lifeguard at the Dead Sea for the last 8 years. My home is in Jericho, which is no more than a 15-minute drive from my beach.
As a lifeguard here you encounter many interesting stories because it is a unique sea and people don’t really know how to behave in it.
Just a couple of months ago a German tourist approached me and said: “Oh my God I can’t believe it, a lifeguard at the dead sea?!” And she continued to laugh about it, because if everyone floats, who needs a lifeguard? Right?
About half an hour later, a swimmer frantically waved his hands for help. The guy had swallowed the very salty water and started to choke. He thought that the Dead Sea is like a pool where you can float while on your belly. Well, you cannot. Of course, I saved him. The German tourist who witnessed the drama was quite in shock, and apologized a thousand times for her earlier comment.
We also have many funny stories to tell. Here is one I remember the most: On Fridays, most of the visitors are Arabs, and most of them are not familiar with the sea and with swimming, in general. One Friday four years ago, I saw an old Arab woman in the water, floating with extra caution. Suddenly I saw a long rope floating right near her, which was very weird. I approached the beach to remove the rope – and could not believe what I saw.
Her husband, sitting on the beach, was holding one end of the rope and the other end was fastened to his wife! When I asked him what this was all about, he answered: “Well, she’s afraid to drown and moreover – I’m afraid that she’ll float away to Jordan!”
