Re: Why is the water so clear in Hawaii and not clear in other places?

Dear Jeremy,

The clarity of water depends on the presence of particles in it – either
dissolved, or suspended particles.  Lakes or oceans that appear cloudy, or
turbid, have lots of particles in the water.  Sometimes these particles are
small cells of algae, which will increase in number when nutrients are
added to the water.  Other times, these particles are dirt or other
particles from the land (such as plants or leaves that are broken up) which
are washed into the water.  The colours of lakes and oceans is due to the
reflection of light by  different particle types – this is very nicely
explained on the following website:
 http://www.umaine.edu/WaterResearch/FieldGuide/color.htm

Bodies of water that have lots of runoff from the surrounding land tend to
be more cloudy, either due to increased nutrient addition (leading to more
algae), or suspended particles of dirt.  Hawaii is a series of small
islands surrounded by a huge, deep ocean, so any runoff from the islands
will be quickly diluted by the water, and used up by the plants and
animals, leaving the water clear (and very fun for swimming!).

Happy swimming!