# What Are These White Spots In The Ocean Off Of Hawai'i?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 7, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338 "2020-05-07T17:07:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338/1 "2020-05-07T17:07:40Z")

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In [this video](https://youtu.be/nuPDt23heHo?t=10213), as a plane approaches Honolulu, the wing dips to reveal a bunch of white spots in the ocean. My first thought was that it’s the foamy crests of ocean waves, but they don’t appear to be moving. Plus - this far out? Similarly, I ruled out boats, because a) this far out? and b) they’re in too high of a concentration.

What am I seeing here?

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**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338/2 "2020-05-07T17:20:01Z")

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Just cresting waves.

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**Author:** ![Dingbang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@Dingbang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dingbang)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338/3 "2020-05-07T17:25:10Z")

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Just white wave crests, as you initially thought. They are moving if you look closely, and any individual one will diminish and disappear.  
Waves crest and whitecap like that way out in the ocean, not just near shore.

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**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338/4 "2020-05-07T17:33:36Z")

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> [@Dingbang](#):
>
> Just white wave crests, as you initially thought. They are moving if you look closely, and any individual one will diminish and disappear.  
> Waves crest and whitecap like that way out in the ocean, not just near shore.

In addition, the relatively fixed position of where the whitecaps are appearing may indicate an ocean bottom feature (a ridge, or just the point where the water has become shallow enough to interrupt the vertically circular motion of open ocean waves).

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**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338/5 "2020-05-07T17:38:03Z")

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and lots of little bubbles

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**Author:** ![keno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f9ae1b/32.png) [@keno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keno)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-white-spots-in-the-ocean-off-of-hawaii/853338/6 "2020-05-08T15:17:32Z")

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tiny bubbles