US Coastal Water Clarity — Week of May 11-17, 2026
Published May 19, 2026
US coastal water clarity this week: 1 region(s) clearing, 5 region(s) declining. Notable: Clarity dropped 28.3 ft in Florida Gulf Coast vs prior week.
Regional reads
Florida Keys & South Atlantic15.7 ft-11.4 ft
Submarius's clarity model read Florida Keys & South Atlantic at 15.7 ft regional average; down 11.4 ft vs the prior week's read.
Florida Gulf Coast13.1 ft-28.3 ft
Submarius's clarity model read Florida Gulf Coast at 13.1 ft regional average; down 28.3 ft vs the prior week's read.
Southern California40.4 ft+24.6 ft
Submarius's clarity model read Southern California at 40.4 ft regional average; up 24.6 ft vs the prior week's read.
Hawaii7.3 ft-23.7 ft
Submarius's clarity model read Hawaii at 7.3 ft regional average; down 23.7 ft vs the prior week's read.
Northeast Atlantic8.8 ft-9.4 ft
Submarius's clarity model read Northeast Atlantic at 8.8 ft regional average; down 9.4 ft vs the prior week's read.
Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast6.1 ft-4.0 ft
Submarius's clarity model read Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast at 6.1 ft regional average; down 4.0 ft vs the prior week's read.
Notable events
Clarity dropped 28.3 ft in Florida Gulf Coast vs prior week
Submarius's clarity model read Florida Gulf Coast at 13.1 ft regional average for this week, a drop of 28.3 ft vs the prior week's read. The pattern is consistent with a runoff or wave-mixing event; the in-app verdict reflects the recovery timeline as conditions stabilize.
Southern California clearing — read up 24.6 ft week-over-week
Submarius's clarity model read Southern California at 40.4 ft regional average this week, up 24.6 ft from the prior week's read. The trend supports the next 7-day windows highlighted in the in-app verdict.
Clarity dropped 23.7 ft in Hawaii vs prior week
Submarius's clarity model read Hawaii at 7.3 ft regional average for this week, a drop of 23.7 ft vs the prior week's read. The pattern is consistent with a runoff or wave-mixing event; the in-app verdict reflects the recovery timeline as conditions stabilize.
Clarity dropped 9.4 ft in Northeast Atlantic vs prior week
Submarius's clarity model read Northeast Atlantic at 8.8 ft regional average for this week, a drop of 9.4 ft vs the prior week's read. The pattern is consistent with a runoff or wave-mixing event; the in-app verdict reflects the recovery timeline as conditions stabilize.
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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