Chances are, if you live in South Florida, you’ve been on a boat or own one. The same goes for pools. Installation of underwater lighting can provide a beautiful aesthetic look to any home’s water feature such as a pool, boat dock, lake, and/or inter-coastal canal. Many home owners will install underwater lighting to attract fish. Moreover, many people with docks will want above-ground dock lighting for nighttime boat safety.
Pool Lighting
Underwater lighting adds unique customization for your home
A study done in 2016 found that 71% of homes sold in Florida had a pool. Likewise, every single “luxury” home sold had a pool. Those are some big numbers! Essentially, it means pools are one of the highest sought items for someone looking to buy real estate in Florida. And an attractive pool is practically irresistible. In many other states, pools are only used for a few months out of the year. But especially in our tri-county area, pools are used year round. Even in cooler months, most pools have heaters. And nighttime swimming is incredibly popular! As a result, proper pool lighting is important.
For underwater lighting, LEDs have all but taken over. Their long life, low temperatures, and the fact that they can come with many built-in options are far more attractive to the older bulbs. Underwater LEDs can come with dimmers, color changing options, and more. Some pools may already come with lighting, but if they don’t suit your needs, you may want to change what is already there. For instance, some pools have just one light – you may want to add a few more for a different effect, shown below. For new pool construction, fiber optic lighting is an option, but this is costly and can be difficult to repair. However, the effect of fiber optics in a pool are astonishingly beautiful.
Multicolor underwater pool lighting 
Fiber optic underwater pool lighting 
Underwater pool lighting with landscape lighting 
A hotel with underwater pool lighting 
Different colors for the pool and hot tub
As you can imagine, a pool building contractor would have to be involved. However, even pool builders don’t usually know how to do load assessments or calculations that are necessary for the safety of your home and family. We highly recommend that you have a qualified electrician involved in your pool project.
Dock Lighting
There are so many homes and businesses in South Florida that are waterfront properties. Whether it’s a lake, canal, or the bay, there are hundreds of thousands of docks in the tri-county area. They are subject to many different codes, one of them being electrical for safety reasons. Dock lighting – both above ground and underwater – is important so that people can tell exactly where the edges are, amongst other things.
Above ground dock lighting
Above ground lighting for docks is mostly for footing. Obviously at night, you need to be able to see where you’re going. But it’s also crucial for any incoming vessels. A boat that’s trying to dock needs to know exactly where the dock’s edges are.
Wired dock 
Solar lit dock
There are many different choices for above ground dock lighting. Some people prefer solar lighting which is great, except that it’s not very powerful. These small lights give off just enough light to illuminate their immediate surroundings, which may be perfect for your situation. However, many people prefer wired dock lighting because they are much more powerful and give you a better view of your surroundings at night. They may make you feel a little safer while walking next to deep water.
“Cap” style solar dock lighting 
Wired dock post 
Nautical style solar dock lighting 
Wired commercial dock lighting
There’s also above ground dock lighting purely for aesthetics. Those who may have a dock but don’t go into – or onto – the water may choose to have a sitting area. These can be solar or wired, depending on the look you plan to achieve.
Underwater dock lighting
Underwater dock lighting is mostly for vessel parking, but some people prefer the aesthetics. It attracts fish, and depending on the clarity of the water, you may be able to see to the bottom. Underwater lighting for docks should be wired, as often, there isn’t enough sunlight to penetrate where the lights are located.
Ponds and other water features
Lots of people in South Florida have different water features. Even if you don’t have the space for a pool, or don’t live on the water, some people have a pond, fountain, or some other type of water feature. Ponds are wonderful to look at during the sunless hours with proper lighting. Koi (or other fish) ponds are very popular, but their lighting needs to be installed by a professional electrician so that no current finds it’s way into the water, shocking the fish. Likewise, a fish pond draws a lot of power from the house, so a qualified electrician can make sure that you’re not overloading your system.
Pond and waterfall lighting 
Well lit koi pond with a waterfall 
Fountain in front of a restaurant 
Waterfall feature in front of a condominium building 
Simple garden fountain
Waterfalls and fountains are technically part of landscape design, but as the water features have lighting, we’re going to briefly touch on them. Large fountains are very popular with businesses and large residential communities, like gated communities, condominiums and the like. Waterfalls can be small, and be placed in a Doctor’s office. Likewise, they can be large and part of an Olympic-sized pool, or a lake. In both instances there’s a chance someone will touch them, in which case it’s important that the feature doesn’t shock them. Moreover, since you’re working with both water and electricity, it’s doubly important. Make sure you have a qualified electrician involved in your water feature project.
For more information on pool and dock lighting, contact us today and one of our representatives will be happy to assist you with a free consultation. Our qualified electricians will help you in the design and installation of your underwater lighting project!