{"id":444595,"date":"2026-05-16T10:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/444595\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T10:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T10:47:14","slug":"inside-the-sunken-dead-sea-party-boat-that-became-a-desert-shipwreck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/444595\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the sunken Dead Sea party boat that became a desert shipwreck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-seven years ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a serious party aboard a cruise ship on the Dead Sea. On the eve of the new millennium, Israel was a global party powerhouse, and every gimmick or fresh innovation on the dance floor was welcomed with open arms. Naturally, given the party\u2019s rave-like atmosphere, only fragments of blurred memories remain, a wooden deck trembling under the force of dancers jumping in unison and the mesmerizing sight of glowing white salt formations rising from the water at sunrise.<\/p>\n

The legendary ship was called \u201cLot\u2019s Wife,\u201d and passengers boarded from a specially constructed adjustable pier at Ein Gedi Beach. In 2000, the vessel sank during a storm.<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/p>\n

A shipwreck in the Dead Sea<\/p>\n

(Photo: Assaf Kamar, Drone: Itay Polak)<\/p>\n

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In an effort to locate the remains of the party ship, I turned to Uriah Levuim, 49, a tour guide and member of Kibbutz Ein Gedi who once worked aboard the vessel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI joined the ship in my early 20s,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI worked as a deckhand, greeting people as they boarded and disembarked, helping the skipper with whatever was needed, selling things at the kiosk and handling maintenance.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the former deckhand speaks about the ship\u2019s legendary owner, a veteran of Israel\u2019s naval commando unit, he becomes emotional.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoti Gonen, may his memory be a blessing, was a man among men,\u201d he said. \u201cTough, strong, entrepreneurial, decent and honest. It was wonderful to be around him. I remember one night when there was a storm, and Moti called all of us to sleep on deck to protect the boat. He had a broken leg at the time, but in the middle of the night he hobbled along the pier and deck throwing fenders overboard to protect the ship. He looked like Captain Ahab. I\u2019ll never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/p>\n

8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05e9\u05ea<\/a>\"\u05d0\u05e9\u05ea<\/p>\n

‘Lot\u2019s Wife’ in better days <\/p>\n

(Photo: Charlie, Ein Gedi Kibbutz Archives)<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d0\u05e9\u05ea<\/a>\"\u05d0\u05e9\u05ea<\/p>\n

(Photo: Charlie, Ein Gedi Kibbutz Archives)<\/p>\n

So how did a tourist attraction for modest pilgrim cruises become an iconic dance venue for one of Israel\u2019s most hedonistic party scenes?<\/p>\n

\u201cOriginally it was a sightseeing ship for cruises on the Dead Sea,\u201d Uriah said with a laugh. \u201cBut at some point a party producer approached Moti, and that\u2019s how it started. Once a week we\u2019d host a party cruise, and they were incredible. Colorful, joyful, full of music and dancing. We\u2019d pick people up at night and bring them back after sunrise. Sometimes it even carried on into the morning. There were guys, girls, drinks, music, Israelis at their best. I remember the entire deck moving to the beat of the music. People stomped their feet and everything literally shook. It was unbelievably cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2000, the party came to an end.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne day there was a major storm,\u201d Uriah said. \u201cThe ship broke loose from its buoy and drifted south toward Kibbutz Ein Gedi, where it ran aground on what was then the shoreline. Over the years the sea kept receding, so I assume it\u2019s now far inland.\u201d<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d7\u05d0\u05df<\/a>\"\u05d7\u05d0\u05df<\/p>\n

Ein Gedi Desert Camp <\/p>\n

(Photo: Assaf Kamar)<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/p>\n

What remains of the stern <\/p>\n

(Photo: Assaf Kamar)<\/p>\n

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8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/p>\n

Even a forgotten life jacket <\/p>\n

(Photo: Assaf Kamar)<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2026: A ynet expedition searching for the wreck of the \u201cLot\u2019s Wife\u201d party ship wakes up to a spectacular sunrise at the luxurious Ein Gedi desert camp. After cappuccinos worthy of a Tel Aviv caf\u00e9, we head out at first light toward the iconic Ein Gedi Spa complex, abandoned because of sinkhole activity.<\/p>\n

And this is the moment to warn loyal readers of our \u201cstrange places\u201d series: Hiking in the Dead Sea sinkhole region without a certified guide and valid insurance is extremely dangerous and could end in disaster. There are no marked trails, and the terrain is filled with unstable ground, pits and deep mud. Do not attempt this on your own.<\/p>\n

We continue south on foot along the waterline on an improvised route that is not suitable for everyone. Uriah, the former deckhand, carefully guides us between deceptive mud flats and glowing salt formations. He has not seen Ein Gedi\u2019s dream ship in 26 years and is visibly emotional about the possibility of finding it and closing a circle.<\/p>\n

After 40 minutes of hiking through a barren, lunar landscape of brilliant white crystals, salt mushrooms and deep blue water, Uriya suddenly points excitedly at a dark, elongated shape at the edge of a salt ridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt this is the remains of something man-made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Excitement grips the group. After 26 years, we are finally about to reunite with the \u201cLot\u2019s Wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

After several minutes of decidedly reckless walking through slippery mud and over rocks, we approach the wreck with growing excitement. The sight is apocalyptic, humbling in the face of nature\u2019s power and perhaps even faintly reminiscent of Noah\u2019s Ark \u2014 a massive wooden hull embedded in salt and earth.<\/p>\n

Despite the decades that have passed since that fateful stormy night, it is easy to identify the vessel as a traditional Turkish wooden gulet fitted with a modern diesel engine that has since become encased in salt.<\/p>\n

Yiftah Argaman, 70, who joined the expedition convinced we would never actually find the remains of the \u201cLot\u2019s Wife\u201d \u2014 and made sure to remind us of that throughout the hike \u2014 discovered an original life ring and an orange life jacket turned into a solid block of salt inside the wreck.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a distance it looked like a pile of broken wood,\u201d he said of the discovery. \u201cThen suddenly these massive beams appeared, rusted metal and this long strange shape that looked like the skeleton of a whale stranded in the desert. It was a perfect moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

8 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/a>\"\u05d4\u05de\u05e1\u05e2<\/p>\n

The ynet expedition to Ein Gedi\u2019s wrecked ship quickly loses composure. Cameras come out as everyone rushes to document the surreal and electrifying sight for posterity \u2014 a shipwreck in the middle of the desert.<\/p>\n

Hali Shalev, 50, a veteran partygoer who missed the Dead Sea party-boat craze during the wild 1990s, carefully climbs onto the unstable upper deck of the wreck.<\/p>\n

\u201cAssaf, put on some music!\u201d she shouts from above.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 30 years I\u2019ve been hearing about these parties,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cI can\u2019t believe I never made it here. But it\u2019s never too late, and now I\u2019ve finally come to close the circle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then, in the strangest and most fitting twist imaginable, a small impromptu party breaks out on the remains of the sunken ship. Someone plays music from a phone, and everyone dances enthusiastically in front of the rising sun, just like in \u201cTitanic.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the end, the journey to the \u201cLot\u2019s Wife\u201d wreck in the Dead Sea was fascinating and thought-provoking, though certainly not for everyone. The hike is challenging and passes through extraordinary apocalyptic landscapes. At some point, whether or not we found the ship no longer seemed to matter, the scenery and salt crystals were impressive enough on their own.<\/p>\n

But spotting the ship in the distance was an especially magical and emotional moment, and the spontaneous dancing on its iconic deck filled us with sweet nostalgia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Twenty-seven years ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to a serious party aboard a cruise ship…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-444595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444595\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}