All life on our planet depends on water. Marine and freshwater ecosystems fulfill many vital functions - from maintaining the climate balance at local and global levels to preserving biological diversity.
But when we think about the sea on which we plan to spend a vacation, we usually do not take into account its importance for the planet. The most important thing is the purity of the water. Having studied the reports of the European Environmental Protection Agency (EEA), Guinness Book of Records and other sources, we found for you the cleanest sea. Even as many as 10 of these seas!
10. Adriatic Sea
The cleanliness of this semi-enclosed sea, which is part of the Mediterranean, directly depends on the approach to ecology of the coastal city. For example, one cannot consider the Adriatic Sea to be clean off the coast of Venice, since shipping, transport, agriculture, and wastewater from various industries contribute to water pollution.
In 2019, we recommend you the beaches of the Adriatic, located in the Croatian region of Dalmatia. According to a study by the Split-Dalmatia County Public Health Institute, conducted on all 964 beaches, 98% of local beaches are rated “excellent” in microbiological terms.
9. The White Sea
And here is the answer to the question, which sea is the cleanest in Russia. The White Sea belongs to the basin of the Arctic Ocean, and although the waters of this hydraulic system are subject to various industrial pollution, they still remain quite clean compared to other Russian seas.
The best time for the rest of the "savages" on the White Sea is the end of July. At this time, the water warms up to 18-20 degrees. Tourists praise the rest in Umbra, with large sandy beaches and shallow sea in the area of the Black River. But there is no service for vacationers there, and it is advisable to take your own products (as well as a barbecue and a pot for fish soup).
And if you need a well-equipped and clean beach, then it is better not to find Jagrinsky beach.
8. The Barents Sea
Included in the first three of the cleanest seas in Russia (along with the White and Kara Seas) according to one of the expeditions of the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute. Each year, scientists conduct expeditionary marine and coastal studies in different parts of the Russian seas.
Despite the harsh climate of the Barents Sea, tourist infrastructure is slowly growing near it. “Mecca” for those who want to temper the body (in summer the water warms up to 12 ° C), go fishing and enjoy the long sunrises and sunsets is Teriberka.
7. The Mediterranean Sea
At one time, the famous oceanologist Jacques Yves Cousteau called the Mediterranean "a landfill." Fortunately, it is not such throughout its length. The greatest amount of waste reaches the Mediterranean Sea from coastal areas with developed industry - Naples, Alexandria, Tunisia, Izmir, etc.
But many Spanish and Greek beaches located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea are marked with the “blue flag” for cleanliness. These include, for example, Playa de Muro on the island of Mallorca, Navagio Bay and Elafonisi Beach.
And EEA experts noted the highest level of water purity at the Maltese beaches. An impressive 99 percent of Malta's bathing water was rated excellent.
6. The Caribbean
The Cartagena Protocol, signed by 13 countries in 1990, prohibits human activities aimed at destroying the Caribbean. This does not mean that this territory is completely free from pollution, but it is significantly cleaner than most other seas.
A warm climate and beautiful beaches make the Caribbean one of the most popular resort areas in the world.
In 2019, we recommend visiting beaches of the Caribbean such as Ram Point in the Cayman Islands, Varadero in Cuba or Bavaro in the Dominican Republic. They all have great reviews on Tripadvisor and other travel sites.
5. The Arabian Sea
This small sea suffers mainly from pollution by oil and oil products. However, off the coast of the Maldives and a popular place for ecotourism - the island of Astola in Pakistan - the water is safe and clean.
4. The Red Sea
Due to the large number of fish, microorganisms and other inhabitants, this sea quickly "digests" most of the pollution. Even oil, which is regularly spilled by tankers traveling along the Suez Canal.
An important factor affecting the level of pollution of the Red Sea is the absence of rivers that flow into it. But it is precisely the dirtiest rivers in the world that supply the world ocean with 90% of plastic waste.
The best places to relax on the Red Sea are Hurghada's popular paid beach Dream Beach, Sharm El Maya Bay, Mahmeya Beach on Big Giftun Island and Abu Dabab Beach.
3. Aegean Sea
One of the cleanest seas on the planet, however, it could not do without a “but”: it is such only off the coast of Greece.
But on the Turkish coast, the situation is worse due to the large amount of wastewater. Because of this, a phenomenon such as the “red tide” is often observed: water layers rich in nitrogen and phosphorus rise from the depths, causing harmful flowering of microscopic algae. Swimming in such water is unhealthy.
However, on the Turtle Coast of Iztuzu - the pearl of the popular Turkish resort Dalyan - swimming is quite safe. This is one of the cleanest beaches in Turkey. Another clean, quiet and safe Turkish beach with turquoise water is Olympos in ираıralı.
2. The Dead Sea
This sea is one of the most saline reservoirs on Earth. Its salinity is 300-310%, and in some years it rises to 350%. However, in the Dead Sea you can swim all year round. And it doesn’t matter if you can swim or not, the oily and incredibly salty water perfectly keeps the body afloat (you can even sit "in Turkish"). The optimal time for swimming is 20 minutes a day.
The "sterility" of the Dead Sea is explained, as you may have guessed, by its salinity. No fish or living organisms, except for tourists, are found here. And industrial waste is not thrown here. But the waste of human life is found.
The best views of the Dead Sea await you on Mount Masada (if you have a car), or from the balcony of the hotel in the resort town of Ein Bokek.
1. The Weddell Sea
To answer the question which sea is the cleanest in the world, we turned to the Guinness Book of Records. And the answer was - Weddell Sea, one of the most ancient and little-studied seas on Earth. It is located off the coast of West Antarctica, and is not suitable for swimming, because most of the year it is covered with drifting ice floes and icebergs.
In 1986, German scientists from the ship "Polar Star" recorded the greatest depth of relative transparency of the water in the Weddell Sea. It was 79 meters, which is comparable to the transparency of distilled water. Of course, a lot of time has passed since then, however, given the small number of people visiting this area, as well as the lack of enterprises poisoning the water, the Weddell Sea still holds the title of "the cleanest sea in the world."
