This may sound like a total noob question.... but i am curious about water tiles... what do i need to do to improve these tiles... i know that if there is a special resource in the area (i.e. fish or crab) i know u can make a work boat and reap the benefits.... but can you improve regular water tiles too?

well....a light house will net you one more food on those tiles I believe....but other than that I dont think water can be improved without a special resource there, like whale, oil, or crabs.

well....a light house will net you one more food on those tiles I believe....but other than that I dont think water can be improved without a special resource there, like whale, oil, or crabs.
Yep, a lighthouse gives +1 food on all water tiles (coast, ocean, and lake) within the city's fat cross. Aside from that, you can't improve a water tile unless there's a resource on it.

With two exceptions.

The Financial trait gives you +1 commerce on every tile with 2 commerce or more. Water tiles have 2 by default, so for Financial leaders, they produce 3 commerce all game long. Sweet. So you can "improve" water tiles by playing as a Financial leader.

You can also build the Colossus, which also provides +1 commerce on all water tiles. If you're a Financial leader and have several coastal cities with seafood resources, this can be a very lucrative build. You're probably guaranteed to build it if you go after it because the AI doesn't prioritize its required tech, Metal Casting. If the map makes it attractive, you could even use the Oracle for Metal Casting to accelerate building it.

The downside of the Colossus is that it expires with Astronomy--which is a very attractive tech to get early (usually via Liberalism), especially for a coastal civ.