In case you weren't aware, all the water under a boat is just one big body of water; it's all connected. Even young children understand this. To tell a fisherman to cast his nets on the other side of a boat is like telling a chef to rotate his pans 90 degrees, or a janitor to sweep right-to-left instead of left-to-right. It's the kind of thing you don't have to be an expert to realize is ridiculous.
But when Jesus tells you to do something, no matter how ridiculous it might seem to everyone else, you must acknowledge that you're receiving instructions not just from someone who lives in our universe, but someone who made our universe. He understands things in a way our tiny minds will never be able.
Not knowing the man who was speaking to them was Jesus, I find myself surprised that the disciples obeyed! Perhaps they were so desperate after having caught nothing all night, they were willing to try even the craziest idea. Or perhaps they were just humoring this man, thinking he must be of diminished intellect. Or maybe a still, small voice inside them caused them to recognize words of truth, even though they didn't know from whom they came. Whatever the reason, I'm so glad they did! Because this story teaches us an important lesson.
Jesus tells us to read His word because it's alive and powerful. The world sees the Bible as just more ink on paper, but when we, in faith, obediently immerse ourselves daily in His word, we find living power working in us and through us. Jesus tells us to pray and that He will listen and respond to every word that we speak. The world sees weirdos muttering to themselves, but we see "all things working together for good." (Rom 8:28) Jesus says that if we seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, we'll never have to worry about food or clothing, our basic necessities. The world sees Christians as missing out on "the good life", but they eat and eat without ever getting full (Micah 6:14) while we rejoice from within prisons.
Sometimes Jesus' way is the result of His higher perspective of our situation, and sometimes He's just looking to reward obedient faith: marching around Jericho, Moses striking the rock, the blind man washing his eyes in the pool of Siloam - none of these acts had power in and of themselves, but by obeying God's unusual requests, these people witnessed His power through their obedience.
Stop looking at God's commands through worldly eyes! Be humble and say, "Lord, you've asked me to do it, and I might not understand, but you are my God, so I will obey nonetheless," and watch what happens!