What would you have done?

[opus]

I wanted to capture the "rainforest" feel of our resort in Mexico, so I snapped away as we passed it in the boat. But the pictures came out so much hazier than I saw them. I was distressed that I couldn't get the shot the way I wanted.

What would you have done differently to capture this shot better?

Here are the settings I used:

Tv(Shutter Speed)
1/640
Av(Aperture Value)
7.1
ISO Speed
100
Lens
28.0 - 90.0mm
Focal Length
28.0mm
Image Quality
Fine