GA SMA PLT REPORTED TO HAVE FLOWN 35-50' ABOVE ELLIOT BAY ON A NIGHT SIGHTSEEING FLT.

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4/88; I DEPARTED BOEING FIELD. I MADE CONTACT WITH SEA APCH FOR FLT FOLLOWING 5 MI N OF THE ARPT. AFTER RECEIVING MY TRANSPONDER CODE; I LEVELED OFF AT 1500'. I THEN PROCEEDED NE TOWARD THE UNIVERSITY DISTRICT. AFTER A FEW MINS OF SIGHTSEEING IN THAT AREA; I TURNED TO A SW HDG TOWARD ELLIOT BAY. I INFORMED ATC THAT I WOULD BE DSNDING TO AN ALT OF 500' WHEN I REACHED THE WATER. I INITIATED MY DSCNT AFTER XING THE E SHORELINE. I OBSERVED ON MY ALTIMETER AN ALT OF APPROX 500' JUST N OF DAWAMISH HEAD. WITH THE SHORELINE IN SIGHT OFF TO MY LEFT; I MADE ONE LOW PASS REMAINING OVER THE WATER AT ALL TIMES. I OBSERVED NO BOATS IN THE VICINITY OF THE SHORE. AFTER THE PASS BY ALKIA; I DID NOT GO OVER LAND UNTIL I CLBED TO APPROX 1200-1300' PRIOR TO ENTERING THE TFC PATTERN AT BOEING FIELD. WHEN I LANDED; TO MY SURPRISE; THE POLICE WERE WAITING FOR ME. THE RPT MADE BY THE POLICE OFFICER SAID THAT I WAS AT AN ALT OF 35-50' WHICH IS FALSE. I THINK HIS ERROR WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS DARK AND THAT I WAS OVER THE WATER. I BELIEVE I WAS ALWAYS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE MINIMUM SAFE ALT REQUIREMENTS OF FAR 91.79. EVEN WHEN REMAINING WITHIN THE REGS; THERE IS A POSSIBLE SAFETY PROB WITH THOSE ON THE GND WHO POSSESS LITTLE OR NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE FAR'S PERTAINING TO MY FLT. I THINK THIS PROB IS INCREASED BY THE PARANOIA CAUSED BY THE PRESS SENSATIONALIZING RECENT INCIDENTS INVOLVING ACFT. LOW LEVEL SIGHTSEEING AT NIGHT MAY BE MORE OF A PROB FOR THE PEOPLE ON THE GND THAN IN THE DAY FOR THE SAME FLT. BECAUSE WITH THE PROB WITH DEPTH PERCEPTION AT NIGHT; I THINK THE MINIMUM SAFE ALT REQUIREMENTS SHOULD BE ADJUSTED TO AVOID ANY CONFUSION OF JUST HOW HIGH AN ACFT ACTUALLY IS AT NIGHT IN THE FUTURE.