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FISHING IN ARABIA

    The Persian Gulf and Red Seas can in summer be the hottest seas in the world. Both seas are surrounded by vast areas of sun baked desert, and their weather is controlled by the surrounding land. In August 1948, I recorded an open water temperature of 39°C (approx. 104°F) near Chaschuse Island in the Persian Gulf, about 2 miles from the mainland of Saudi Arabia. For a minute or so the water was uncomfortably hot to wade in. Even so, small fish were numerous in the waters around the island and in some ponds in the island which were connected with the Gulf. 
    The shamal (north wind) is the prevailing wind in the northern Persian Gulf. For days at a time especially in May or June, the wind keeps the sea in a constant froth, and visibility is cut down by brown dust as by a dense fog. 
    The Red Sea also has its dust storms, usually from the south east at Jidda. When I was in Jidda in July the weather was clear, hot, and humid. It was calm in the morning^[[,]] with a steady northwest breeze arising in the afternoon which usually continued until sunset. 
    In winter, the waters of the Northern Persian Gulf become cold, since air temperatures have been known to drop near freezing and the water is so shallow. Veteran employees of ARAMCO have told me that many fishes drift up dead on the shores during these very cold spells. The Red Sea, however, is never subjected to such extremes in temperature. 
    Tides at Ras Tanura vary between 5 and 7 feet. The very gradual descent of the shore line makes the tides even more noticeable. One night on the boat, in Tarut Bay, I woke up with a sore neck. When I scrambled out on deck, I saw the stern was high and dry on a sand bar. The next morning the nearest land was 1/2 ^[[mile]]