Fog in the Gulf does not arrive like weather. It appears as a grey wall that eats the horizon in minutes, and the sea goes flat and quiet in a way that feels harmless. That quiet is the problem. In low visibility only three things keep you out of trouble: speed, sound, and a track you can reverse.
The moment visibility drops, bring the throttle back to where you can stop inside the distance you can see. On a small boat that is a fast idle, not planing speed. Keep the bow into the swell so you are not taking waves sideways, and put someone forward, low down near the bow, where a hull or a swimmer shows against the water before the helmsman picks it up.
Stop thinking in minutes and start thinking in boat lengths. If you cannot see two boat lengths ahead, you are already too fast.
A powerboat under way in fog sounds one long blast at intervals of no more than two minutes. Stopped with no way on, it sounds two long blasts with a gap between them. A proper horn carries further than a whistle over engine noise, and either is better than silence.
In fog your ears are worth more than your eyes. Kill the music, open a window or the canvas, and listen. A large vessel's engine and bow wave reach you before its hull does, and the direction it comes from matters more than the exact distance. If a heavy engine is getting louder and you cannot place it, turn away from the sound and slow right down โ do not turn toward what you assume is open water.
The tempting move is a straight compass bearing back to the marina because it is the shortest course. Do not. Steer the track you came in on. That track already proves the water was clear of nets, rocks and shallow patches, and it is the one line you can follow while seeing nothing.
This is where the B7R app earns its space on the console: tides for Shuaiba and Shuwaikh ports, sea state and navigation tools sit together, so you can check the return before you lose sight of the coast.
When the fog thickens, the track gets confusing and you cannot say which side the shore is on, the safest move is usually to stop. Anchor in water you know is clear, well off the shipping lanes, keep the horn going and wait. Drifting blind across the approach to Shuaiba or Shuwaikh, where deep-draft ships move on a schedule, is how small boats get run down. Never cut across a channel to save distance in fog; cross it once, at right angles, where you are sure of the gap.
Fog gives you no second chance at a decision. Download the B7R app free on Google Play and check sea state and tides before every trip: get it on Google Play.