# Depths Colors Disappear



## Ruminator (Apr 6, 2004)

I know quite a while back there was a thread about this but I couldn't find it from searching so I'll make another.

Water absorbs different wavelengths of light to different degrees. The longest wavelengths, with the lowest energy, are absorbed first.
The colors disappear underwater in the same order as they appear in the color spectrum.

- Red is the first to be absorbed. Even water at 5ft depth will have a noticeable loss of red.
- Orange disappears next, then yellow, green, and purple.
- Blues penetrate deepest of all, both the tones visible to our human eyes and also the shorter, ultra-violet wavelength many fish can see.

At what depth underwater do colors disappear?


Red - 15ft
orange - 25ft
Yellow - 35-45ft
Green - 70-75ft

Color compensation (Interesting Fact)
Your brain will compensate for the loss of color underwater.

- Water progressively absorbs or blocks light of different wavelengths, meaning that colors effectively “vanish” one after another as “white” sunlight travels through the water column.

- The overall intensity or brightness of visible light also diminishes rapidly underwater.

- The amount of light that penetrates the surface depends on surface conditions, the weather, and the time of day.

- Choppy waters reflect more light than calm waters.

- Sunlight from the horizon is reflected much more than sunlight from straight above.

- The brightest conditions underwater will occur on a sunny day, with a calm surface between 10AM and 2PM.

- Also the clarity and color of the water itself, and the presence of any suspended matter such as weed or plankton affect light penetration.

This phenomenon has a profound impact on the way things look to us, and also to fish underwater. White objects will appear bluish or gray underwater, and the darkness of that blue/gray appearance increases rapidly with depth. Red objects will begin to look dark brown or even black within a few meters of the surface. Down at 40 or 50 feet, even in very clear water, the world appears to be composed entirely of shades of gray, blue, and black.

It’s worth stressing that this loss or alteration of visible colors occurs in both the vertical and the horizontal or diagonal planes. So, 40 feet of vertical depth has roughly the same impact on light waves and color perception as 40 feet of horizontal or diagonal separation between object and observer. In other words, a red lure may look black when viewed at a depth of 40 feet, but it will also appear black, or at the least brown or very dark grey, when viewed from the side at a distance of 40 feet, even if it’s traveling right up in the surface layer.

Here's a couple graphics that illustrate some of the above information -



















The first graphic has some new information that is good to know.

Excerpted from-
- http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/underwater-photography-lighting-fundamentals
.


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## Ruminator (Apr 6, 2004)

On another site (sea grant) I found this information which gives deeper levels for colors to change due to very clear water. This would apply not only to some inland waters, but even more so to Lake Erie waters due to the greater depths and water clarity discussed.

When light travels through clear water, some of its energy is absorbed, with the longest wavelengths absorbed first. So the warmer colors (red, orange, yellow) fade out and gradually appear darker or black as the lure runs deeper. Red light is almost completely absorbed within the first 20 to 25 feet. Orange penetrates 35 to 45 feet, and yellow 65 to 75 feet, while green and blue remain visible for as deep as the light penetrates. The proliferation of zebra mussels and quagga mussels, which can filter plankton out of the water, has resulted in increased water clarity in lakes; clearer water allows light to penetrate to greater depths.

The total intensity of light also decreases with depth. At 50 feet, a yellow lure will still appear yellow, but will not appear as bright as it did at 20 feet.

While red may be the first color to disappear in the clear water of Lake Michigan, in turbid water, like river mouths, this relationship is reversed. Blues disappear first, with greens and reds reaching to greater depths. At depths where it is nearly dark, a white lure would show up better than a blue or green lure against a blue-green background of water. Commercial products designed to reflect any light that strikes them also make lures more visible.

On a cloudy day, colors of light will not penetrate as deeply as they will on a sunny day. At dusk, as light intensity fades, red is the first color to go, followed by orange, yellow, green and blue. As total light intensity decreases, the rod cells in the fish’s eye become more active and the fish is no longer able to distinguish colors. After dark, anglers can choose a shiny lure to catch any available light or a lure that glows in the dark. In the dark, fish may be attracted to a lure by smell and vibration, and only use vision at close range.

At dawn, as light intensity increases, the cone cells become effective again and fish can see colors. Blues, greens, yellows, oranges and finally reds appear. At early dawn, a red J-plug near the surface shows up as a dark shape against the brightening sky. As the sky gets lighter, red no longer contrasts as well, and anglers should experiment with other colors. Light also affects the movement of forage fish. They may move up and down in the water column in response to increasing and decreasing light, which in turn, affects the distribution of sport fish.










Excerpted from-
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/Home/Topics/FishandFisheries/Details.aspx?PostID=1702


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## kapposgd (Apr 10, 2012)

What the hell man. Why didnt you do this sooner? You wouldve save me hours and hours of reading books about color and how it acts in water! Seriously, fantasic write up on the subject. One additional consideration to keep in mind is the species youre fishing for, because they see color differently than each other and sometimes they see colors differently (especially in spring) than other times of the year


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## Ruminator (Apr 6, 2004)

LOL, thanks.
Like I said in my first post this topic's been covered before.
In fact if you want far greater detail you will want to click the following link to check out Intimidator"s excellent thread from early 2014- Choosing Lure Colors


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