Weekly water clarity report

US Coastal Water Clarity — Week of May 4-10, 2026

Published May 12, 2026

US coastal water clarity this week: 2 region(s) clearing, 1 region(s) declining, 3 region(s) steady. Notable: Florida Gulf Coast clearing — read up 9.2 ft week-over-week.

Regional clarity model read — feet01020304050Florida Gulf Coast41.5 ftHawaii31.1 ftFlorida Keys & South Atlantic27.2 ftNortheast Atlantic18.3 ftSouthern California15.8 ftMid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast10.2 ftimprovingstabledecliningno data

Regional reads

Florida Keys & South Atlantic 27.2 ft -5.0 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Florida Keys & South Atlantic at 27.2 ft regional average; down 5.0 ft vs the prior week's read.

Florida Gulf Coast 41.5 ft +9.2 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Florida Gulf Coast at 41.5 ft regional average; up 9.2 ft vs the prior week's read.

Southern California 15.8 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Southern California at 15.8 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Hawaii 31.1 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Hawaii at 31.1 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Northeast Atlantic 18.3 ft +3.1 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Northeast Atlantic at 18.3 ft regional average; up 3.1 ft vs the prior week's read.

Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast 10.2 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast at 10.2 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Notable events

Florida Gulf Coast clearing — read up 9.2 ft week-over-week
Submarius's clarity model read Florida Gulf Coast at 41.5 ft regional average this week, up 9.2 ft from the prior week's read. The trend supports the next 7-day windows highlighted in the in-app verdict.

How the model works

Submarius estimates horizontal underwater visibility for any coastal point. It starts from that location's typical clarity for the time of year, built from in water measurements and satellite ocean color, then subtracts what changes day to day: wave stirring judged against depth and bottom type, river and runoff plumes, and tide driven water movement. Each estimate shows its data sources and how fresh they are. The underlying optics draw on Lee et al. 2015. See the methodology overview, the plain English conditions guide, and the glossary for the full picture.

Per-location and arbitrary-lat/lon clarity reads are available in the Submarius app. This weekly report publishes only regional aggregates so the model's recipe stays protected while the outcomes stay public.

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Model read taken May 11, 2026 at 06:34 UTC. Subscribe via RSS.