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Here at Red Cat Adventures, we strive to dig deeply into the scientific reasoning behind the turquoise waters we call home. As with all aspects of our tour guiding life, we like to be properly informed ourselves, in order to pass on correct information.

The Colour

While blue is the go-to colour that springs to mind, we can safely say that the majority of the waters around here are actually turquoise.  This is a better representation of the green and blue combination that can be seen with the naked eye and indeed, in photography.

Turquoise if famously known for having the following characteristics;

Turquoise, a blend of the colour blue and the colour green, has some of the same cool and calming attributes. The colour turquoise is associated with meanings of refreshing, feminine, calming, sophisticated, energy, wisdom, serenity, wholeness, creativity, emotional balance, good luck, spiritual grounding, friendship, love, joy, tranquillity, patience, intuition, and loyalty.

What Makes Seawater?

The Reasons

Fine particles of various minerals go into the makeup of every drop of water in the ocean.  Depending on where you are in the world this will change quite dramatically.  The open ocean in the Pacific is made up of the above elements.

The water in The Whitsundays generally conforms to this data with the exception of higher silicon PPM.  The additional silicon reflects sunlight as it passes through the water which helps to create the famous turquoise colour.

Water Depth

As we all know, the deeper the water is, the deeper blue it becomes.  The Whitsundays has an average water depth of around 20 meters which is very shallow by normal ocean standards.

The decreased water depth also allows for light to pass all the way to the ocean floor and light up the sand below.  This has a major and distinctively visible effect when viewing an area like Hill Inlet.  Here you will see hundreds of different water depths that will all display their own colour.

Summary

The water in The Whitsundays is unlike anything else you will see on this planet.  The combination of the shallow, clear water with the higher concentration of silicon really makes the ocean pop.

It’s important to note that if you are trying to photograph the area, you will see the best results by using a polarizing filter on your camera.  This works exactly the same way as your polarised sunglasses by taking the glare and shine off the water.

>>> Check out our photo gallery.