Genesis 8:
5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month,
were the tops of the mountains seen.
6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
7 And he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters
were on the face of the whole earth:
***
Tops of the mountains can be seen in genesis 8:5, then in 8:9 the dove cannot find any ground
because the earth is still totally covered.
which simply means waters had not receded enough to practically disembark people and animals
to allow them to go and disperse on their purposeful way, ..but the Ark may well have been high and dry
for months already....especially if the Ark had grounded on the highest part of the mountains.
Then from that high dry vantage point, Noah was then (in the 10th month) now able to see newly exposed
areas of the lower peaks/ridges.
