Viewing underwater through a glass bottom boat provides superior visibility compared to looking over the side due to the reduction of optical disturbances caused by the water's surface. The index of refraction of glass minimizes distortion, allowing for a clearer image. Additionally, the dim interior of the boat reduces reflections from the sky, which can wash out visibility when looking directly into the water. This setup effectively eliminates the erratic light patterns created by the water's surface, enhancing the underwater viewing experience.
PREREQUISITESMarine biologists, tour operators, educators in marine science, and anyone interested in enhancing underwater visibility for observation or research purposes.
Light from the sky (and particularly the Sun, of course) will reflect at the surface of water or glass. For a water surface, with many wavelets, wherever you look on the surface, you can see moving spots of light from which will all 'sparkle' annoyngly. Working under a tent or sunshade wil eliminate most of that. A crinkly water surface will produce specular reflections in many directions (distorting the image due to refraction at the changing surfaces but a plane glass surface will only show one image of the Sun and you can easily move your viewing point to put that image somewhere it doesn't matter.gutman said:TL;DR Summary: Why is there better visibilty when viewing under water through a glass bottom of a boat rather than say looking over the side of the boat?
Why is there better visibilty when viewing under water through a glass bottom of a boat