Question

while alex was surfing he rose 36 feet above the water as he rode a wave. within seconds he fell 48 feet where he hit the ocean floor. how deep was the ocean where alex was surfing?

Answer 1

12 ft, I think. Because he rose 36 above the water

and so it's 36 - 48, which equals -12.
And it's absolute value, so the answer is 12.