Best Underwater Pond Lights 2023 (Top Models Compared)
If you have a garden pond which looks great during the day, why not also ensure it looks great during the night? One of the easiest ways to bring life to a pond during the night is to add underwater pond lights which work to illuminate your water, plants, and fish in spectacular fashion. If you’re looking to light up your pond, this is the guide for you!
US Pond Owner? We recommend...
UK Pond Owner? We recommend...
Why Choose Underwater Pond Lights?
Water lighting has been used for years to illuminate pond waters, adding some magic to your pond after dark. Regular surface lights are great for general lighting, but due to the way the light reflects off the water’s surface, will not be able to illuminate the best part – everything under the water!
Submersible pond lights, or underwater pond lights, are designed to provide illumination directly under your surface water. Due to the way they display light, and the fact that it isn’t reflected by your top water, means they can provide fantastic illumination of fish, plants, and water patterns. The best part? Quality underwater lights are usually quite strong, so can also do a good job of illuminating the entire pond and banks, so there is really no need for dedicated external spotlights.
With that said, most submersible pond lights can be fitted outside of water and used as standard spotlights for your pond, anyway! If you purchase an external light, it is very unlikely it will also be designed for water use. This means when you buy an underwater light, chances are you’ll be able to mount it externally and use it as a spotlight if you want, and due to its waterproof design, it will be 100% rain resistant.
LED Lights vs Halogen Lights – Which is Better?
LED pond lights are more energy efficient than regular halogen lights, and are generally much brighter in comparison. As well as this, LED lights are designed to run for a very long time, so you won’t actually need to replace any bulbs. Since underwater lights can be a hassle to remove and maintain, we feel that a bulb that doesn’t need replacing is a very important feature. Another benefit that LED lights have over halogen is that they run very cool and will not heat up the surrounding water, which could be a problem in smaller ponds.
In almost all circumstances, we would recommend LED underwater lighting over regular halogen bulbs. They’re cheaper to run, provide better lighting, and don’t need to be replaced as often. Even if you find LED lighting costs more than the same wattage of halogen lighting, we’d still recommend the LED option due to the potential long-term savings and lack of maintenance that comes with replacing bulbs.
Are pond lights fish safe?
Yes, pond lights will not harm your fish, and so long as you purchase LED lights, you will not be heating up your water when you use them. However, if you have pond fish, the lights should always be combined with a timer or switched off before you go to sleep. Pond lights should not be on all night, as the lights will make your fish easy targets for night time predators! You can add a simple timer to your plug connection and set the timer to automatically switch off each night at a time of your choosing.
Solar Powered Pond Lights – Are They Worth it? (Pros & Cons)
Since pond lighting is mostly useless during the day, you will NEED a battery pack with your solar powered lights for effective night time operation. The solar panel will slowly collect the day’s sunlight, and during the night, will power your underwater LEDs for several hours.
Solar powered lights are a great choice for smaller ponds, or for pond owners who want to reduce their monthly electricity bill. These lights due have some drawbacks, however, and these need to be consider when choosing between solar and regular mains lights.
The first drawback is the power of solar pond lights, which is much less than regular lights. You likely won’t see the same brightness and vivid colors as regular lighting. As well as this, your twilight operation is limited by your battery capacity. As soon as the battery runs out of charge, the lights will stop working. From personal experience using solar pond lights, and after a good days sunlight, you can expect 5-8 hours of further operation with a full charge.
Things to Consider when Buying Submersible Pond Lights:
Are they submersible?
One of the first things you will need to check is if the lights are actually submersible and 100% waterproof. Some lighting may state they can illuminate your water but this likely just means the lights can penetrate underwater from a surface position. Check the technical specification and look for the term ‘submersible’ to be sure. If you accidentally purchase surface lighting, DO NOT place these in your pond water, as they are not meant to be submerged.
Will they be bright enough?
To ensure the pond lights are bright enough, you’ll need to check their wattage and whether they are LED or halogen bulbs. The deeper you place the lights, the stronger they will need to be to effectively illuminate your pond water. Anything rated 1 watt+ for LED lights would be more than enough for small ponds which aren’t particular deep. For deeper ponds, you will want to look for LED lights in the range of 3-6 watts+. Even if you place them fairly shallow, having a more powerful bulb will ensure the light spreads far more across the length of your pond, not just vertically.
Does it support multiple colors?
If you don’t just want white light, you’ll want to check if the lighting supports multiple color settings. Usually pond light kits will have an option to switch lighting modes, with some just having non-white options as standard. This is mostly down to personal preference, so if you have a color you want, double check your lighting supports it out of the box.
Should I get solar powered pond lights?
Unless you get a lot of sunlight, or have a very small pond, we would recommend mains socket LED lights in most situations. LED lights are very energy efficient, and will not cost you a huge amount to run monthly. With that said, if you still decide to pick up a solar powered pond light, the two main things to consider are wattage of the solar panel and battery operation time. The higher the wattage of the panel, the brighter the lights will be, but the more power they will drain from your battery. The larger the battery, the longer the lights will run at night time. Solar panels with batteries that provide 5+ hours of lighting after a full charge are usually good choices.
The Best Pond Lights Reviewed 2023 (Top Underwater Pond Lights)
Due to the different brands available between the US and UK markets, we’ve researched and divided our categories to provide both American and UK pond owners a review on the best underwater pond lights available. We have listed below the best pond lights available to both the US and UK market, as well as any relevant technical information which may be useful.
Warning!
US - Best Underwater Pond Lights
US - Best Underwater Pond Lights
1) NFESOLAR Solar Spotlights Review
An affordable solar powered pond light kit which supports multi-color lighting. NFESOLAR Solar LED lights come with 3 individual LEDs rated at 12 lumens of brightness. The LEDs support red, green, and blue lighting and automatically rotate between colors during operation. The solar panel is rated at 3.5w, and comes with an 6-8 hour battery operation time on a full charge. The lights are connected to the solar panel with a 10 foot cable and each light unit is 100% waterproof and submersible.
We like this solar powered pond light due to its affordability and great battery operating time. One of the main problems with solar power is the limited night time operation, but you will be able to get close to 8 hours from this model, which is great! The kit is really easy to install, and as this is solar powered, will cost you nothing extra to run monthly.
The LEDs are very good quality and bright enough after a full charge to illuminate a fairly large area of pond water. They’re not quite as bright as some mains LEDs, but would be perfect for small ponds, or to sit on a shallow shelf in a larger pond. Making sure to position the solar panel in an area of maximum sun exposure during the day will provide the best results at night.
The colors provided are clean and vibrant, but there is no option for white light or a method of manually setting the color you want. It rotates between the 3 colors automatically, which isn’t a problem, but we would have loved to see some manual setting options. Overall, a great solar powered LED lighting option with a generous battery capacity that would be perfect for pond owners looking to save money monthly!
Monthly running costs?
No monthly running costs due to solar power.
- Type: Solar Power
- Wattage: 3.5w (panel)
- Bulb: LED
- Color: Red/Green/Blue
- Submersible: Yes – 100% waterproof
- Battery: 8 hours on full charge
- Power cord: 10 foot
2) Jebao LED Pond Lights Review
A bright LED multi-color light kit for larger ponds, waterfalls, or fountains! Jebao’s LED pond lights come in a set of 4, with each light containing 12 individual LED bulbs. In total, the lights require 4.8w of power and have a bulb life span of 100,000 hours. The kit comes with 4 color lenses you can fit over the LED lights for a red, green, blue, or yellow lighting color. Without the lens attachment, the LEDs produce a very bright white light. The lights are sturdy, fully submersible, and come with a 16 foot power cable as standard.
This kit is a great choice for larger ponds or ponds with fountains/waterfalls, as they can be placed individually to illuminate the different pond features. They’re also very bright and should be able to provide decent lighting for most ponds and depths. They’re submersible, so need to be placed on the pond floor, but are 100% waterproof so you won’t get any electrical problems.
The color options are flexible, with different lenses providing different colors for your lighting. The lenses are easy to fit, and the light produced is very bright and vibrant. To keep lighting results good, we recommend cleaning the lenses every few months to prevent buildup on the casing. If you choose to run the lights without a lenses fitting, the lights will produce a strong white light.
The only issue we found with these lights is the fairly short cable length between light units, so if you want to place lights very far apart, these may not be suitable. With that said, they would be an ideal lighting kit for small-medium sized ponds, and would do a great job of illuminating water features. They’re also very cheap to run, have a very long bulb life, and have a great range of color options!
Monthly running costs?
Assuming a charge of $0.10 per kWh (national average), and taking into account the 4.8w, the cost to run the lights per month would be $0.14 per month. This would be running the lights for 10 hours during the night, 30 days a month on average.
- Type: Electrical (12v AC or DC)
- Wattage: 4.8w (total)
- Bulb: LED
- Color: Red/Green/Blue/Yellow/White
- Submersible: Yes – 100% waterproof
- Power cord: 16 foot
3) Aquascape LED Pond Lights Review
Aquascape’s LED pond light series is a great choice for deeper ponds, water features, or for pond owners who want the maximum amount of monthly savings. The 1-watt spotlight model is incredibly energy efficient, has a 40,000 hour operating lifespan, and is backed by a lengthy 5 year warranty as standard.
There are no additional color options for this spotlight, but the light produced is a very warm white light that creates a much softer atmosphere compared to colored lighting. The lights are 100% waterproof and submersible, and can be placed fairly deep on your pond floor.
Unlike the other lights reviewed here, which come in sets, Aquascape provides their LED lights individually. This isn’t a negative, however, as the lights are very high quality, and you have the peace of mind of a 5 year warranty on all bulbs. Since most LED lights are permanently sealed and cannot be replaced manually, the warranty means you can get a replacement unit if there is any problems with operation.
The light produced is a very warm, white light that does a great job of creating a softer atmosphere around your pond or water feature. Even though the light is only rated at 1-watt, the light produced is sufficient to penetrate even deeper water and illuminate even larger waterfalls and fountains. Its single 1w LED diode provides the same output as a 10w halogen light.
The light comes with a 14.5 foot power cord, and can easily be secured in place using its mounted base design. It can be mounted both underwater or outside water as a spotlight, so is very versatile. If mounted externally, it will be 100% weather/rain resistant due to its waterproof design.
Overall, a very energy efficient submersible pond light that produces a strong white light and is backed by a long 5 year full replacement warranty as standard. A great choice for pond owners who want a cost effective pond light and a long warranty for peace of mind.
Monthly running costs?
Assuming a charge of $0.10 per kWh (national average), and taking into account the 1w, the cost to run a light per month would be $0.03 per month. This would be running the lights for 10 hours during the night, 30 days a month on average.
- Type: Electrical (12v AC or DC)
- Wattage: 1 watt each
- Bulb: LED
- Color: Warm White
- Submersible: Yes – 100% waterproof
- Power cord: 14.5 foot
UK - Best Underwater Pond Lights1) 
Esotec Solar Pond Lights Review
Esotec’s solar powered lights are a great kit for small or shallow ponds, or to help illuminate a smaller water feature. This kit comes with 3 LED white lights which are powered by a 1 watt solar panel and can run for 8 hours on full battery charge. The lights are 100% waterproof and submersible, and can be filled with stones or pebbles to secure them and give them a natural camouflage on your pond floor.
Included are 3 AA rechargeable batteries which provides around 8 hours of night time operation on a full charge. The lights come with a sensor which automatically switches them on at low light, and off at high light during the day.
We love these solar pond lights due to their brightness, ease of use, and lengthy 8 hours battery running time. The solar panel is of high quality, and will provide your lights plenty of power during the night so long as its positioned in a high exposure sun spot.
The lights themselves are a bright white light, and can be weighted down with rocks or pebbles, which helps hide the majority of the unit. The light is bright enough to illuminate smaller water features, but may not be suitable for larger features or really deep pond water. It also doesn’t come with any other colour options, so if you want more colours, this may not be the best lighting solution for you.
The lights are on a convenient sensor which automatically switches them off during the day, and switches them on during the night. This is a nice feature for preserving battery charge, and also just makes life a little easier!
Overall, a great little set of solar powered pond lights that would provide a decent amount of white light to small ponds or water features.
Monthly running costs?
No monthly running costs due to solar power.
- Type: Solar Power
- Wattage: 1w (panel)
- Bulb: LED
- Color: White
- Submersible: Yes – 100% waterproof
- Battery: 8 hours on full charge
- Power cord: 3 m each
2)
All Pond Solutions LED Lights Review
An efficient set of multi-colour pond lights that work great as surface spotlights or as submersible lights! All Pond Solutions LED light kit comes with 3 lights rated at an energy efficient 1w. The lights come with 5 different colour options, which can be adjusted using the lenses which are included. These fit over the heads of the lights and produce a vibrant colour display. The lights can be mounted externally, or fully submerged in water. The tripod design is sturdy, and comes with a great suction pad for easy installation.
These lights are bright enough for most ponds, and work well to a maximum depth of around 1.5m. Even though they’re only rated at 1w, they’re fairly powerful, and have a good light spread across the water when submerged.
The lights produce white lighting as standard, but also support green, red, blue, and orange with the addition of coloured lenses. These fit neatly on the head of the lights, and provide a strong range of colours. You shouldn’t have any problems with leaking, but you may need to clean the lenses occasionally to maintain maximum lighting benefits.
They’re mounted on a sturdy tripod design which allows 360 degree rotation, and they have a great suction pad bottom design which makes securing them very easy. The lights are weighted, so are easy to submerge under water or place in your garden externally. They also come with a 1 year full replacement warranty in case of damage as standard.
The only downside of these lights is they may not be strong enough for deeper ponds or very large water features. They’re energy efficient at 1w per light, but we found the lighting could have been brighter, and would likely not be the best for larger scale illumination. With that said, these are still a fantastic choice, with their flexible mounting options, colours, and energy efficiency being the main selling points!
Monthly running costs?
Assuming a charge of £0.10 per kWh, and taking into account the 1w per light, the cost to run the lights per month would be £0.09 per month. This would be running the lights for 10 hours during the night, 30 days a month on average.
- Type: Electrical (12v AC or DC)
- Wattage: 1 watt each
- Bulb: LED
- Color: White/Green/Red/Blue/Orange
- Submersible: Yes – 100% waterproof
- Power cord: 8m (1.2m between lights)
3) 
Blagdon LED Pond Lights Review
A powerful set of 5 LED lights which would be perfect for larger ponds or water features! Blagdon’s underwater pond lighting kit features 5 powerful 3w LED lights, with 4 different colour options. The lights can be mounted both underwater and externally, and can be filled with rocks or pebbles for weight and a natural look. The lights are fitted on a sturdy tripod, and are easily rotated and positioned.
These pond lights are a great choice for larger ponds or for bigger water features. They provide good lighting from a depth of 2m, and can illuminate a large area of surface water. Being rated at 3w each, they’re much stronger than other LED lights but still very energy efficient to run.
The kit includes multiple colour options with the use of lenses which fit over the head of the light. The lights produce a bright white light as standard, or can be fitted with yellow, blue, or red lenses. The lenses are easy to fit, and the colour produced is much softer in tone than the default white light.
The lights are mounted on a strong tripod system with a durable support base. The base can be weighted down with stones or pebbles which also gives the light a more natural feel. The lights can be rotated in multiple directions, so you will have no problems with positioning. They’re 100% waterproof and work great as both submersible pond lights or external pond lights. When mounted externally, they can be fitted by screwing into the bracket or placed on stakes and positioned in the ground.
These lights would be a great choice for larger ponds or for illuminating larger features due to their stronger output. With that said, they’re still very energy efficient and won’t cost you much extra monthly to run. A great all-round choice and one of the best underwater pond lights!
Monthly running costs?
Assuming a charge of £0.10 per kWh, and taking into account the 3w per light, the cost to run all 5 lights per month would be $0.45 per month. This would be running the lights for 10 hours during the night, 30 days a month on average.
- Type: Electrical (12v AC or DC)
- Wattage: 3 watt each
- Bulb: LED
- Color: White, Yellow, Blue, Red
- Submersible: Yes – 100% waterproof
- Power cord: 10m
Bravo good job guys
Hi, I noticed that you have actually got the picture for the Halogen lights with Allpondsolutions, not the LED picture?
I always find your site very informative and you can tell that I read it very closely.