Years of below - average rainfall, followed by the harsh summer of 1985, had taken a severe toll on the Sea of Galilee, and this freshwater lake was also being tapped for crop irrigation.
Vairākus gadus pirms laivas atklāšanas Galilejas jūras apkārtnē nokrišņu bija mazāk nekā parasti, un 1985. gada vasara bija sevišķi karsta.