Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is a critical component of aquatic ecosystems. It is however understudied and rapidly changing due to global climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. Remote sensing can provide the efficient, accurate and large-scale monitoring needed to ensure proper SAV management. Our objective is to introduce remote sensing to researchers in the field of aquatic ecology. Applying remote sensing to the underwater environment is more complex in comparison to terrestrial studies due to the water column. A wide range of sensors and platforms from remotely operated vehicles to satellites are available for use in the underwater environment, a sample of which being presented herein. The utility of any sensor/platform combination varies depending on the aquatic conditions being observed. An overview of the required corrections, processing, and analysis methods for passive optical imagery is presented and discussed. Previous applications of remote sensing to identify and detecting SAV are briefly presented and notable results and lessons are discussed.