Red tide have occurred and caused large damages to the fishery industry in the coastal waters of Korean peninsula since late 1980s. To effectively detect and monitor the spatial and temporal distributions of widespread red tides, in situ optical measurements and/or satellite remote sensing can be used. In this study, we investigated the possibility of optically discriminating red tide focusing on Cochlodinium polykrikoides, the major harmful algal bloom (HAB) causative dinoflagellate species in Korean waters. We produced a large dataset of simulated remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) spectra in a wide range of bio-optical conditions using Hydrolight software and bio-optical data provided by the International Ocean-Color Coordinating Group (IOCCG). We estimated the apparent optical properties (AOPs) from the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of C. polykrikoides blooms based on forward calculation to use the optical characteristics for discriminating C. polykrikoides blooms from non-red tides. The characteristics of phytoplankton coefficient are translated in to a depressed Rrs in the blue-green region for C. polykrikoides, while no similar depression was observed for non-red tides. The two Rrs band ratios (R1: Rrs(555)/Rrs(531), R2: Rrs(488)/Rrs(443)) were determined to be most effective for detecting high-density C. polykrikoides blooms. Even under optically complex water conditions, the distribution of C. polykrikoidtical measurements and/or satellite remote sensing can be used. In this study, we investigated the possibility of optically discriminating red tide focusing on Cochlodinium polykrikoides, the major harmful algal bloom (HAB) causative dinoflagellate species in Korean waters. We produced a large dataset of simulated remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) spectra in a wide range of bio-optical conditions using Hydrolight software and bio-optical data provided by the International Ocean-Color Coordinating Group (IOCCG). We estimated the apparent optical properties (AOPs) from the inherent optical properties (IOPs) of C. polykrikoides blooms based on forward calculation to use the optical characteristics for discriminating C. polykrikoides blooms from non-red tides. The characteristics of phytoplankton coefficient are translated in to a depressed Rrs in the blue-green region for C. polykrikoides, while no similar depression was observed for non-red tides. The two Rrs band ratios (R1: Rrs(555)/Rrs(531), R2: Rrs(488)/Rrs(443)) were determined to be most effective for detecting high-density C. polykrikoides blooms. Even under optically complex water conditions, the distribution of C. polykrikoid