OK, I have raked my brain and debated my friends until they are sick of hearing my ideas about this, but...what is up with the two different bearings? Ben tells Michael to use 325 as his compass bearing to leave the island safely. Faraday has everyone he talks to use a bearing of 305.

My thoughts on this are that Ben knows the true bearing and that Faraday has calculated a safe bearing that just happens to work. For those who are familiar with harmonics of a frequency, Faraday's bearing may just be a multiple of the main pathway producing several workable bearings with Ben's 325 degree bearing being the center frequency, so to speak, and Faraday's 305 bearing being some 'harmonic' of the true center bearing. The alternate windows through the barrier might be more narrow or more dangerous but work nonetheless.

Is this bearing difference a typo in the scripts or something very intentional? If this has been answered, please post a link as little things like this drive me nuts and my friends are tired of my rant...lol

I was asking myself the same question about the bearing difference. My thoughts are that Ben moved the Island after Michael departed with Walt securing the Island so that Michael wouldn't be able to get back or share the bearing with anyone else. I also believe that when Miles had the meeting with Ben (that Kate arranged) that Miles was giving Ben information. I believe that Miles is linked to Ben, perhaps a spy.

i think it will somehow explain how Walt will look older, the bearings aged him somehow

I was thinking the same thing Carpe... Like Ben purposely sent them on an incorrect bearing so they would arrive back in the "real world" at a different time, like maybe before the plane crash??? I am in no way saying it was definitely prior to the crash... it could be anytime...

or that the purple sky incident right as Michael left started the island moving or spining?

Could it possibly be as simple as departing/arriving at different places on the island?

I don't know about bearings and such, but if faraday has them coming in close to the beach camp, and Ben has Michael leaving from the Ferry Docks...farther north...wouldn't that make for different bearings?

Could it possibly be as simple as departing/arriving at different places on the island?

I don't know about bearings and such, but if faraday has them coming in close to the beach camp, and Ben has Michael leaving from the Ferry Docks...farther north...wouldn't that make for different bearings?'

That was exactly my first thought as well, simply that they were each at separate points when they were leaving. But I also don't really know anything about navigation to know if that would change it.

My husband worked on submarines, so I asked him to explain:

A bearing needs a minimum of two fixed points. If Michael and Walt were starting out from a different point then they would have a different bearing to get through whatever crack there is in the islands "insanity shield."

305-180= 125

If 305 is the baring from the freighter to the beach then 125 would be the bearing from the beach to the freighter.

I think the bearings are a little screwy on the show.

My husband worked on submarines, so I asked him to explain:

A bearing needs a minimum of two fixed points. If Michael and Walt were starting out from a different point then they would have a different bearing to get through whatever crack there is in the islands "insanity shield."

305-180= 125

If 305 is the baring from the freighter to the beach then 125 would be the bearing from the beach to the freighter.

I think the bearings are a little screwy on the show.

Thanks for asking him. Much appreciated!

325 doesn't necessarily have to make things screwy does it? I don't think Ben was sending Michael to the freighter, so we don't really know the destination to judge if the bearing was wrong. Or am I wrong? Or did I confuse everyone?

You confused everyone. Thanks, we needed that :)

Michael left from a different point on the island going to an unknown location.

The freighter is sending a helicopter to some place which is not the same location as Michael left. So the bearings should be different.

You confused everyone. Thanks, we needed that :)

Michael left from a different point on the island going to an unknown location.

The freighter is sending a helicopter to some place which is not the same location as Michael left. So the bearings should be different.

LOL Glad I could add to the confusion, it happens to be one of my finer skills!

What I meant was basically what you said. Kelian told us that a bearing needs at least 2 fixed points to be calculated. I was merely trying to say that since we only have one single fixed point (departure) there was no way to know if his bearing was screwy.
So through the confusion, I think you deciphered my point rather well! :D

perhaps there are different lanes to and from the island if you recall when they finally showed Michael he was a little bit off not quite himself, maybe Ben planning for the future knew that he would need Michael to return and knowing all about the island and what the different lanes or headings would do sent him on the one that would cause him to need the island and to easily be controlled by Ben, and Faraday's bearings may be the one lane without repercussions or the sane lane.

Someone needs to ask this question at ComiCon in San Diego.

Please? :)

I don't think they're compass points, but rather code messages.

305 was also on Eko's stick in season 3...