Is the ocean blue or green?

[tuffr2]

Interesting yesterday I was at the ocean and it looked green. I was at the ocean a few days earlier and it looked blue. Do see the same two colors or am I losing it?

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[Hudson Force]

No, you're not "losing it". The apparent color of the ocean changes with the amount of sunlight on the surface; the angle of incidence of this light, the reflection of the color of the sky; the clouds; the depth of the water allowing the bottom substrate to have an effect; the clarity of the water; the type and amount of plankton in the water and more.

Certainly, the color of the ocean changes as much as the color of the sky.

[StuM]

Isn't the sea what Algy calls it: a grey sweet mother? The snotgreen sea.

[zeehag]

snot green , cobalt blue, frothy seafoam, brown, teal--all colors, depending on depth, stuff growing in it and sky ... is a neverending magic.
stone cold grey in storms.....

[TooCoys]

Here in Galveston its more like chocolate milk.

[SSgtPitt]

In Corpus Christi it's a beautiful clear shade of diluted mud. Visibility is fantastic at about 1".

[seasick]

On the Oregon coast and many others the sea turns from green to blue about fifty to sixty miles offshore.

[SVTwilight]

YES! This morning it was blue in Vineyard sound and now 10 miles offshore from Newport Rhode Island it is green!

And a delicious autumn sailing day!

[tuffr2]

Oh...don't forget black at night. That makes it extra scary.

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[ramblinrod]

Doesn't the colour depend on depth and chartplotter contour settings? ;-)

[Cheechako]

It seems green in the northwest a lot. Blue as heck in the Caribe. I think it has a lot to do with the sky.

[CREX]

Just stay clear when it's red...lol

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[jrbogie]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Interesting yesterday I was at the ocean and it looked green. I was at the ocean a few days earlier and it looked blue. Do see the same two colors or am I losing it?

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neither. when it looks blue to you it is actually ABSORBING every color but blue which it reflects; as it does with the color green. simple really unless you think about it.

[Cadence]

Getting far enough offshore to get past pollution it looks blue until you see it breaking over the bow. Then it's green water.

[OldBlueBear]

Hi,Your definatly not loosing it.
It depends on how well you see subtle differences in color.
P { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }

In my experience of trundling around the worlds oceans on 40,000 ton + freighters and a few ULCCs. Covering a total of 15 circumnavigations by sea and air.


It very much depends on both location, time of day, time of year, Wx (sorry weather) and associated sea conditions.


I would however make two sweeping statements for which I am bound to be howled down.



In general:

1. The Pacific and Indian Ocean looked bright Blue. The Pacific often was full of phosphorescence at night but Blue non the less .
2. And the Atlantic was Green, Blue-Green in the run into the canal, and and Green-Grey in the winter. And a most uncomfortable place to be when it blew.
   While the South Atlantic; Falklands, South Georgia and further south; to me, it looked almost Midnight Blue.
   
   
   Others will probably report different - to be expected.

I hope that helps, best 73, Dave