Q - What is the recommended spacing and/or depth for underwater lights? (2024)

FAQs

Q - What is the recommended spacing and/or depth for underwater lights? ›

Although Lumitec underwater lights can be run above water, they perform best when completely submerged 8" to 16" below the water. For inboard boats: generally speaking 1 light for every 2.5 to 5 feet of beam provides good results.

Brightness: While many flashlight producers use a lux rating for brightness, in the underwater world we mostly use lumens (we'll keep it brief, and won't go into the technical differences between the two). Look for a light of at least 1500 lumens or more, preferably at least 2000 lumens.

There are no hard and fast rules for where you should install your underwater boat lights, but one suggestion is to make sure that they are at least six inches below the waterline so that they stay underwater, even in choppy water.

Factors to Consider

Larger pools may require more lights to ensure even illumination, while uniquely shaped pools may need strategic placement to avoid dark spots. A rule of thumb is to install a minimum of one light for every 200 to 300 square feet of pool surface area.

Strobes and LED lights are the best to use, because their color temperature (the “cool” cast of the light they emit) is the same as daylight. Even so, if the subject is beyond 4.5' (1.5m) from the lens, the water will act as a blue or green filter over your light source, destroying much of the white-light advantage.

Light in the ocean decreases with depth, with minimal light penetrating between 200-1,000 meters (656-3,280 feet) and depths below 1,000 meters receiving no light from the surface.

Manual mode is the way to go for underwater photography camera settings on a DSLR. Use the base ISO (100 or 200), an aperture of F8 and a shutter speed of 1/100th. If you are close to your subject and there is enough lighting available, use an aperture of around F11.

- Fixtures should generally be positioned 0.5 and 0.70 metres under the water surface so that swimmers are illuminated. - Placing fixtures on long side of pool ensures beams need to travel less distance and cause minimum annoyance to swimmers.

Powerboats under 12 meters – Must show an all-around white light visible from 360 degrees (generally called a masthead light) and red and green side lights visible at 112.5 degrees placed above the hull and at least one meter below the masthead light.

Silicon or rubber gaskets will best seal the lens, thus preventing water from coming in. You should also look for resin potting where the wireway enters the fixture. Resin potting serves as a dam to prevent water from reaching the lens, should it enter the wireway.

How far apart should flood lights be? ›

When more than one flood light is required, then the space between each flood light should be 3 times their mounting height. For example: if a road is being lit and the flood lights are mounted 8m high, then each flood light should be 24m apart.

In the shallow end keep lights within 9–12 inches of the surface of the water. Lights should be positioned 4 inches beneath the waterline. Place lights below the bench or in the footwell. Doing so keeps people from resting their backs against a warm light and blocking out the light.

How far apart should pool lights be? Generally, it is one fixture for roughly every 8 feet of pool to allow even light distribution and ensures an even glow without hot spots or dark spaces. Example 32-foot-long pool would require 4 underwater lights.

If you mount them pointing down the effect won't be very impressive unless you are scuba diving under the boat. Mounting them on the transom facing back is the best way to go. Also the deeper the better because it cuts down on surface glare.

The wavelengths of green and white lights allow the light to spread through water further and deeper, attracting more fish.

Underwater Macro Photography with a DSLR Camera

If you are close to your subject, then an aperture between F16 and F29 is recommended. If your subject is further away, then an aperture between F5. 6 and F11 will most likely give the best results.

Two hundred lumens for recreational daytime diving in clear water should be enough. You may need between 500 and 1000 lumens in cloudy water and at night.

Invest in the right gear:

I generally shoot all my marine life images with the 35mm prime and turtle tour images with the wider angel 14mm prime. Most water photographers swear by the 16-35mm lens; but I really love to connect and photograph magic and portraits exactly as I see and feel them.