#3: [29-Nov-07]

#1: [08-Jun-06]

14-Jun-2006 -- We visited 25N 37E on the morning of our final leg returning to the port of Umm Lujj, following a week of reef carbonate geologic studies in a pristine region 40 to 90 km north of the Confluence. This was our second visit to 25N 37E, having visited 6 days earlier during the northward transit aboard Dream Voyager on the 1^st day of reef study.

Our June 14^th morning departure point was from a calm over-night anchorage on the south side of Šaybāra Island, where we enjoyed beautiful scuba diving conditions on the previous day. We left Šaybāra at dawn heading south, and made good time crossing the open water running in the same direction as the waves and gentle wind. When we slowed down and made steering corrections during our approach to the Confluence, the erratic side-to-side boat rocking imposed waves of nausea on a couple of the shipboard scientists. We passed thru 25N 37E at 8:13 a.m. One of the more distinct stills from video of the ship's Furuno GPS shows that we passed within 14 m of the Confluence.

After we acquired photos of the surrounding area, Captain Johnny veered to a more easterly course to navigate around a large shallow reef located 800 m to the South. The new course and an increase in speed helped to stabilize the ship, and our suffering colleagues started to feel better. After dodging the shallow reef, we veered SE and enjoyed pleasant close-up views of the southwest flanks of Libāna and al-Ḥaṣāniyy Islands, before turning east and approaching the port at Umm Lujj.

In the sea, but with a view of land.