Yemen Volcano Eruption

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Something unexpected and not on the itinerary. As we cruised down the Red Sea (Latitude 15 32 N and Longitude 41 50 E) there was an announcement from the Cruise Director that the Captain had reported that there was an active volcano erupting and that we would pass very close to it (within 3 miles). It was spectacular. We witnessed ongoing multiple eruptions on the volcano which comprises the Yemeni island of Jazirat At Ta'ir. The peak stands at 244 m above sea level and we witnessed three active domes, the highest, a perfect cone, being the currently active vent. At our closest we were just 1.5 nautical miles off the volcano. The captain changed course to allow us spectacular views of the eruption and lava flows ranging in colour from white through yellow to red. A once in a lifetime experience that any vulcanologist would die for. Unfortunately, even 1.5 nautical miles was too far for good stills but we have an excellent video. We do, though, have some grainy digitally zoomed shots taken from the video.

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