text: Secchi depth is the depth at which a disk is no longer visible to the human eye. This measurement was created in 1865 and represents one of the oldest oceanographic methods.  To measure Secchi depth, a white or black-and-white disk is mounted on a pole or line and lowered slowly down in the water. The depth at which the disk is no longer visible is taken as a measure of the transparency of the water.   Secchi depth is most useful as a measure of transparency or underwater visibility.