With its stunning turquoise
waters and fine
white sand, crystal clear views of Diamond Head and
long, rolling surf perfect for catching that morning
wave, there is pretty good reason why Waikiki Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world.
When a solid S / SW swell rolls across the kaleidoscopic coral reefs, there aren't many surfers who would want to be anywhere else: the
waves are an exercise in perfection — spitting barrels run into
long smackable walls, the turquois
water and
white spray of the sea set against the intense green background of the rainforest.
Light
waves can be reflected / scattered, absorbed, refracted, or transmitted to pass through matter unchanged and different materials will have different effects in these encounters; high energy light
waves get scattered in our atmosphere from encounters with dust,
water vapour, molecules, etc. as the
white light hits the rough surface composed of these, so we have a blue sky for example, while the
longer IR gets absorbed by
water and earth, on a smooth surface such as glass or still
water these high energy lights get reflected, angle of incidence equal to, and some pass through to get reflected or scattered at the next surface, think rainbow.