“The Caribbean sea is so clear and blue because it has little presence of plankton – or other substances – and it's relatively shallow so most of the light is reflected. As a result, we see beautiful clear blue water. Water gets its color from the interaction of sunlight with water and the substances in the water.”

The stunning "electric blue" water of Jamaica is the result of extremely low nutrient levels and high water clarity, combined with the way sunlight interacts with the Caribbean Sea. Because Jamaica is surrounded by deep ocean trenches, there is very little "upwelling" of organic matter like plankton or algae, which would normally turn the water a darker green or cloudy brown. This lack of sediment allows sunlight to penetrate deep into the water; the water molecules then absorb the red, orange, and yellow parts of the light spectrum while reflecting the blue and violet wavelengths back to our eyes. Furthermore, the white coral sand on the seafloor acts as a natural mirror, reflecting the blue light back up through the shallow water to create that glowing, turquoise effect found in places like Seven Mile Beach or the Blue Lagoon. The presence of limestone and calcium carbonate in the island's geology also helps "precipitate" out impurities, keeping the water exceptionally clear and allowing the natural "Rayleigh scattering" of light to produce those vibrant shades of sapphire and aquamarine that define the Jamaican coastline.