Using a Polarizer

I'm a big fan of using a polarized filter on sunny days.  How do they work?  Well think about wearing sunglasses.  They always tell you to buy polarized sunglasses right?  They cost more but they reduce the glare.  That's the same idea in photography.  Cameras work best in diffused lighting conditions. When the sun is directly overhead you get strong reflections off water or other surfaces.  This confuses the exposure system.  By attaching a polarized filter you can get better mid-day photos.  Here is an example below:

Not the best photo ever taken but given the lighting conditions I am quite certain it would have been totally blown if I had not used a filter.  There was intense glare coming off all the white water especially from this position at about 1:30 PM in the afternoon.  The polarizer also deepens blue water or sky and you can see that in the picture if you look at the water in the distance.


Kudos to anyone who can guess who that surfer is...