Colors appear different underwater due to how water absorbs and scatters different wavelengths of light. As light travels deeper through water, longer wavelengths (like red and orange) are absorbed first, while shorter wavelengths (like blue and green) penetrate deeper. This is why:
- Red light disappears at around 15-20 feet depth
- Orange light vanishes at about 30-40 feet
- Yellow fades around 60 feet
- Green and blue light reach the deepest
This is why underwater photos often have a blue-green tint, and why many deep-sea creatures appear red – in the deep ocean, red objects appear black because there’s no red light to reflect.