A rising volcanic plume from an unknown source was observed on 9--11 August 2006 in the Vava'u Island group in the northernmost islands of Tonga. On 12 August, the crew on board the yacht Maiken, sailing west from Vava'u to Fiji, encountered "a vast, many miles wide, belt of densely packed pumice" floating on the water. Later, the crew sailed south and discovered that the source of the pumice was a newly erupting submarine volcano near Home Reef (18.9910S, 174.7670W).