Why is the Water so Clear in Hawaii?

Part of our Tropical Trivia About Hawaii and its Unique Culture series.

The Big Island of Hawaii is the youngest of the island chain. The majority of the coastline is still lava rock. This means there is no sand to stir up in the water. There is also less runoff from the shore. What does end up in the ocean tends to be volcanic rock or coral based sand. These sink quickly and don’t stay suspended in the water.

With lots of coral reefs the waters near the beach are protected from stronger currents. The natural currents continually bring a fresh supply of ocean water to the island.

Warm surface water in tropical areas have low nutrient concentrations. This limits the amount of zooplankton and phytoplankton which would otherwise cloud the water some.