Hi Dave -
It's not so much "getting rid" of poison ivy as it is helping the healing process. Salt is a drying agent (it's water loving) and can help to keep the wound dry. One of the old remedies for treating poison ivy was to use a warm-water and salt solution. So the ocean makes a lot of sense - plus its fun too!
If you'd like to know more about salt, go here:
Everything you wanted to know about salt from the Salt Institute |