According to Genesis, what was the first sign Noah saw that the floodwaters were receding?

According to Genesis, the first sign Noah saw that the floodwaters were receding was the appearance of mountain tops.

Genesis 8:5 says that, by the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. This occurs before Noah sends out the raven and dove. The sequence is important: the mountain tops are the first visual change explicitly recorded after the Ark rests, while the birds provide later tests of whether the lower ground is dry enough.

The dove’s olive leaf is therefore not the first sign in the narrative, even though it is the most famous image from the story. After another interval, the dove does not return, indicating that the land has become more suitable, but Noah still waits until God tells him to leave.

Genesis presents the recession as gradual. The waters do not vanish immediately when the Ark comes to rest. The narrative’s dated stages distinguish the Ark stopping, mountains becoming visible, birds being released, and the ground finally drying.