Where have you seen the best visibility ever seen?

[Tomeck]

I've seen great visibility in lots of different places. Some of them almost always have great viz, while others rarely do. The place I've personally had the best viz was actually in the Gulf of Mexico 28 miles off Redfish Pass at a site called The Crack. The water was glassy. Except when they broke the surface, dolphins riding our our bow appeared to be moving through the air. After we anchored, another boat came up beside us, it looked like it was in the air. Barracuda hovered all around the area, they all appeared to be in the air. The only down side was when we hit the thermocline at 50 ft, we moved from air clear water to gray and only about 20 ft of viz. I've dived in great viz in Cayman, the Bahamas, Cozumel, Bonaire, the Keys, Blue Grotto (and other springs), Roatan and others, but none of them copmpared with that day in the Gulf.

I think I must go to the Gulf of Mexico to see the exceptional visibility in salt water.

 

[mikerault]

Turks and Caicos, 100 feet.

Mike

 

[Walter]

I think I must go to the Gulf of Mexico to see the exceptional visibility in salt water.

Good luck. I've dived the Gulf close to 400 times. I've seen it that clear once.

 

[Digger54]

I've seen great visibility in lots of different places. Some of them almost always have great viz, while others rarely do. The place I've personally had the best viz was actually in the Gulf of Mexico 28 miles off Redfish Pass at a site called The Crack. The water was glassy. Except when they broke the surface, dolphins riding our our bow appeared to be moving through the air. After we anchored, another boat came up beside us, it looked like it was in the air. Barracuda hovered all around the area, they all appeared to be in the air. The only down side was when we hit the thermocline at 50 ft, we moved from air clear water to gray and only about 20 ft of viz. I've dived in great viz in Cayman, the Bahamas, Cozumel, Bonaire, the Keys, Blue Grotto (and other springs), Roatan and others, but none of them copmpared with that day in the Gulf.



Why do you think divers are unlikely to get narced at 100 ft?

Thanks to the original poster for the interesting question and some fabulous photos.

It looks like this thread took 12 posts to start to get off topic -- with posts calling other poster's friendly and innocently intended comments "BS" and trying to demonstrate their intellectual superiority over us mere mortal recreational divers.

Doesn't make much of a favorable impression on new visitors to these forums.

Let me rephrase my post lest some diver get narced in Blue Grotto and blame me for my horrid transgression:

"The water was mighty damn clear at Blue Grotto. Clearest I've ever seen." Period.

 

[knotical]

I have to call BS on some of the distances given in the article you referred to.

Actually, I referred to several articles, including one:
www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjmfr/1995/65.pdf
with evidence, reinforcing that the maximum possible visibility approaches 80 meters.
Other articles include what are pretty clearly flawed estimates, even though made by reputable people.

 

[dannobee]

Actually, I referred to several articles, including one:
www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjmfr/1995/65.pdf
with evidence, reinforcing that the maximum possible visibility approaches 80 meters.
Other articles include what are pretty clearly flawed estimates, even though made by reputable people.

I think the distinction needs to be made between vertical and horizontal visibility. The Secchi method uses a disc dropped into water (vertical visibility). Most divers would judge visibility by looking horizontally and might be limited vertically by the bottom (assuming that the water was clear enough). Obviously, ambient light and the angle of sunlight would come into play here.

If we used a Secchi disc dropped from a boat, then used the same disc reeled between two divers, we could probably get a more accurate measurement of visibility in both planes.

In either case, the water at Weddell Sea is the clearest that I've ever heard of.

 

[Walter]

Actually, a secchi disk can be (and is) used to measure noth horizontal and vertical visibility. When I've used one, I measure vertical visibility then get in the water with another diver and measure horizontal visibility. You are correct, they are often different.

 

[miketsp]

Actually, I referred to several articles, including one:
www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjmfr/1995/65.pdf
with evidence, reinforcing that the maximum possible visibility approaches 80 meters.
Other articles include what are pretty clearly flawed estimates, even though made by reputable people.

Yes, you're quite right, I missed that one.
As you referred to various links and I started working through them only finding absurd distances I didn't bother to check them all.

And, as Walter points out, a Secchi disk can be used vertically or horizontally. But the 80m limit to identify something still remains.

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
It looks like this thread took 12 posts to start to get off topic -- with posts calling other poster's friendly and innocently intended comments "BS" and trying to demonstrate their intellectual superiority over us mere mortal recreational divers.

Doesn't make much of a favorable impression on new visitors to these forums.
..snip..

I believe new visitors come here in search of accurate information.
I for one wouldn't give much credibility to a site where divers were discussing vis of a 1/4 of a mile and no-one questioned it.

Vis can be really deceptive. A few times I've been diving wrecks in apparently really clear tropical waters and I've run a line from the wreck to be able to sweep the surroundings. From the wreck looking outwards I'd have sworn that I could see for 40m+ but after running out 30m of line the whole wreck was invisible.

 

[Teamcasa]

Back on topic. Kona had the best vis i've ever seen with Kauai and Baja Mexico running a close second.