In underwater imaging, the visual quality of both video and image is degraded, influencing the recognition of many marine resources. Backscattering and attenuation are the main reasons in degradation of quality in underwater images. This paper aims at study and comparison of recent algorithms used to improve the visual quality of underwater images. Firstly, cause for the image degradation is analyzed. Secondly the algorithms, formulated are broadly categorized into Data Driven and Non – Data Driven approaches. Afterward the results of all the algorithms are tabulated. Finally, pros and cons are analyzed to formulate the effectiveness of each algorithm and paving the way for future research.