A fiber optic swimming pool is illuminated by optical cables that transmit light generated from a remote source.  These cables are built into the coping, walls, and bottom of the pool to create spectacular perimeter and underwater lighting effects.  Because the source of light is remote from the pool itself, optical cable is the only form of illumination that can operate underwater without heat or the immediate presence of an electrical current.

This makes it the safest source of pool lighting to use if you plan to do any swimming at night.  Any other type of underwater lighting fixture that operates on current can pose a risk of electrical shock if it becomes defective.  This is not as big a concern as it once was, however, because most pool lights now are low-voltage and therefore non-lethal.

The biggest safety hazard of underwater lights is actually heat.  Hot lamps can burn a swimmer’s skin if he or she comes into direct contact with the lens.  In a fiber optic swimming pool, there is no heat coming from the optical cables.  This eliminates the need to minimize the number of actual light fixtures that one can safely place in a pool.  Light can shine from every point underwater if so desired, and the temperature will not even rise one degree.

On summer nights in Houston, when it is still very hot, the most comfortable pools to swim in are fiber optic swimming pools designed by Exterior Worlds.

These pools are also the most arguably the most well lit.  Because cables can be installed anywhere in the bottom, walls, or coping of the pool, it is possible to achieve a more evenly distributed field of light throughout the entirety of the water.  Even lighting affords a swimmer a more accurate perception of depth which is essential to safety when diving into the pool after dark.

Generally speaking, the best color for general safety lighting is white.  This does not mean, however, that your pool lighting is restricted to only the color white.  The illuminator that generates the light is manipulated by a flywheel that can be programmed to rotate across the lamp and to change the color of its emission.  This enables a single illuminator to generate well over a thousand combinations of colors and effects.

One of the most popular effects in fiber optic swimming pools is the star fiber optic effect.  This is generated by installing hundreds of very small optical cables in the walls and bottom of the pool.  These cables come alive as small points of light that look like stars of various magnitude clustered in galaxies, nebulas, and constellations.  Again, the flywheel in the remote illuminator is very important here because it emulates both the colors and the twinkling effects of stars in the sky.

Luxury pool lighting effects are also possible in fiber optic swimming pools.  Think of all the exotic blues, greens, and reds that you have seen emanating from the spa pools and waterfall fountains in pictures of five star resorts.  These same effects can be created in your custom swimming pool now. 

While the investment in outdoor fiber optic lighting is much higher than other types of pool lighting, the fact that it takes only about 150 watts to operate the system once installed makes it the most affordable of all outdoor lighting sources to operate.