I just finished ready Jack London's "South Sea Island Tales".

In it he descibes Islanders preventing dehydration by sitting in sea
water. A hurrican had just destroyed the islands drinking water. He
describes it relieving thirst, though not getting rid of it entirely.

I spoke to a doctor friend of mine, and he thinks its pluasible. The
density of salt in the body is just slightly less than sea water. If
severely dehyrated, then reverse osmoosis would occur, and water would
pass through the skin back into the body.

Does reverse osmosis occur?
If so, should the Ancient Mariner of jumped into the sea, instead of
watching the boards shrink?

Kim