Coastal environmental elements such as bathymetry maps are of great significance to the economic and military development of each country. Spaceborne hyperspectral imager is one of the important instruments for coastal zone monitoring. Firstly, this paper systematically reviews the index system of spaceborne hyperspectral imagers, and then introduces the applications of hyperspectral remote sensing images in the retrieval of nearshore bathymetry. In order to improve the inversion accuracy, the current research status and shortcomings of fusion technology of laser active remote sensing and hyperspectral passive remote sensing are discussed. Furthermore, the index system of hyperspectral imagers is prospected based on the requirement of applications in coastal zone monitoring, which provides reference and support for the further development of hyperspectral remote sensing in coastal applications. © COPYRIGHT SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.