Scuba Diving International (SDI) AFS 270 Practice Test

When you look at something underwater, light bends at the water surface because water has a higher refractive index than air. This refraction makes objects appear shallower, so they look nearer than they actually are. At the same time, because the object seems closer, it subtends a larger angle to your eye, so it also looks bigger than it truly is. Put together, underwater objects appear closer and larger.

That’s why the correct choice is closer and larger. The other options don’t fit because they describe them as farther or smaller, which contradicts the way light bending and distance perception work underwater.