What if sharks could change the way you think about light?
From hunting in near darkness to glowing beneath the waves, sharks reveal that light is far more than illumination. It’s one of the invisible forces shaping life in the ocean.
When most people think about sharks, they imagine powerful jaws, rows of sharp teeth, and one of the ocean’s most formidable predators.
But what if one of the biggest secrets behind their success wasn’t their bite?
What if it was light?
Sharks have been swimming through Earth’s oceans for more than 400 million years, long before dinosaurs appeared.
During that immense stretch of time, they evolved extraordinary ways of using light, sensing it, adapting to it, and even producing it.
This week, Shark Awareness Day offered the perfect reminder that beyond the myths and movie stereotypes lies one of the ocean’s most extraordinary evolutionary success stories.
Masters of the Twilight
Many sharks are most active at dawn, dusk, or during the night.
To thrive in these low-light conditions, their eyes contain a remarkable reflective layer called the tapetum lucidum. Acting like a biological mirror, it reflects incoming light back through the retina, giving light-sensitive cells a second opportunity to capture every available photon.
It’s the same adaptation that makes a cat’s eyes shine in the dark, but sharks perfected it hundreds of millions of years ago.
When Seeing Isn’t Enough
Light is important—but sharks don’t rely on vision alone.
Hidden around their snout are tiny sensory organs called the Ampullae of Lorenzini, capable of detecting the incredibly weak electrical fields produced by the muscles and nerves of other animals.
Imagine finding prey buried beneath the sand or swimming in complete darkness without actually seeing it.
For sharks, that’s simply part of everyday life.
A World Built on Contrast
Humans experience the ocean through a rich spectrum of colors.
Many sharks probably don’t.
Research suggests that several shark species have very limited color vision, relying instead on contrast, movement, and brightness to interpret their surroundings.
In the underwater world, where colors quickly disappear with depth, detecting the silhouette of a fish can be far more valuable than distinguishing shades of blue.
Sometimes evolution chooses efficiency over complexity.
The Sharks That Glow
One of the ocean’s best-kept secrets is that some sharks actually produce their own light.
Deep-sea lantern sharks use tiny light-producing organs called photophores to emit a soft blue-green glow.
Scientists believe this bioluminescence may help them camouflage themselves against the faint sunlight filtering from above, communicate with other sharks, or recognize potential mates.
In the deep ocean, producing light can be just as important as seeing it.
A Different Kind of Glow
Other sharks have evolved an equally remarkable trick.
Species such as the chain catshark and swell shark don’t generate light. They transform it.
Their skin absorbs blue light and re-emits it as vivid green fluorescence, much like many reef-building corals.
Exactly who can see these fluorescent patterns remains one of marine biology’s most intriguing questions. What appears invisible to us may be an important form of communication in the underwater world.
Nature still has plenty of secrets left to reveal.
Following the Rhythm of the Moon
For some shark species, even moonlight matters.
Researchers have observed changes in activity during different lunar phases, influenced by a combination of tides, prey behavior, and the amount of natural light available at night.
It’s another reminder that life beneath the waves follows rhythms we’ve only begun to understand.
Light doesn’t simply illuminate the ocean.
It helps orchestrate it.
More Than Illumination
The deeper scientists explore the oceans, the clearer one fact becomes:
Light shapes life in countless ways. It influences how predators hunt.
How prey hides. How animals communicate. How ecosystems function.
Sharks are one of the most remarkable examples of this relationship.
For more than 400 million years, they have adapted to every level of the ocean: from sunlit coral reefs to the darkness of the deep sea, using light in ways that continue to surprise even marine biologists.
Perhaps that’s the greatest lesson sharks teach us.
The ocean isn’t simply filled with life.
It’s shaped by light.
And every new discovery reminds us how much there is still left to learn.
Orphek and Sharks: Lighting Some of the World’s Most Extraordinary Shark Habitats
For decades, Orphek has been driven by a simple mission: to develop lighting solutions that support marine life while bringing the beauty and science of the underwater world closer to people.
That commitment has led Orphek far beyond home reef aquariums.
Today, Orphek LED lighting systems illuminate shark exhibits and large-scale marine habitats in some of the world’s most prestigious public aquariums and destinations.
Visitors to Aquarium de Biarritz in France experience sharks under the illumination of Orphek Amazonas LED lighting, including its impressive 1.5-million-liter shark tank, home to species such as the scalloped hammerhead shark.
At Palma Aquarium in Mallorca, Spain, Orphek powers the iconic Big Blue—officially the deepest shark tank in Europe—and the immersive Shark Vision Boat Experience, allowing visitors to experience sharks from a unique perspective while showcasing the beauty and behavior of these remarkable predators.
Another outstanding example is Nausicaá – Centre National de la Mer in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, home to the spectacular High Seas exhibit. Inspired by Colombia’s Malpelo Island Marine Sanctuary, this immense ecosystem recreates one of the world’s richest marine environments. Measuring more than 61 meters (200 ft) long, 35 meters (115 ft) wide, and 8 meters (26 ft) deep, it is the largest bay-window aquarium in Europe and houses more than 22,000 marine animals, including hammerhead sharks, manta rays, and eagle rays. More than 40 Orphek Amazonas 500 LED fixtures illuminate this extraordinary habitat, helping showcase one of Europe’s most impressive marine exhibits.
Orphek’s expertise also extends to some of the world’s most iconic destinations. At Burj Al Arab in Dubai, Orphek lighting enhances the spectacular aquarium at Al Mahara Restaurant, where guests dine alongside sharks and other marine life in an unforgettable underwater setting. Nearby, at Atlantis, The Palm, Orphek illuminates both The Lost Chambers Aquarium and the impressive Ambassador Lagoon, where thousands of marine animals—including zebra and bamboo sharks—welcome visitors from around the globe. To see these projects click here.
Our lighting solutions have also been selected for major public aquariums in the Middle East, including Oman Aquarium, where reliable, high-performance illumination supports large marine displays designed to educate and inspire.
But our work with sharks goes beyond public exhibits.
When The Shark Institute needed a specialized high-intensity LED lighting system for nighttime whale shark research, they turned to Orphek.
Working closely with their research team, we developed a customized solution designed to attract plankton to the surface, allowing scientists to observe and photograph whale sharks feeding naturally in the wild during expeditions in Djibouti. The results exceeded expectations, with researchers reporting more nighttime shark observations than in previous seasons.
These collaborations reflect something we have always believed: lighting is far more than a way to illuminate an aquarium. Whether supporting public education, advancing marine research, or helping visitors connect with some of the ocean’s most extraordinary predators, the right lighting plays an essential role in revealing—and protecting—the underwater world.
At Orphek, we are proud that our technology has earned the trust of leading public aquariums, research organizations, and marine institutions worldwide. It is a responsibility that continues to inspire us as we develop lighting solutions for the next generation of reef keepers, public aquariums, and ocean conservation projects.
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Orphek provides revolutionary LED solutions to all clients—both enthusiasts and professionals. We believe everyone can contribute to reef conservation. Our products empower both beginners and experienced aquarists to create optimal conditions for coral growth, supporting the mission to sustain marine biodiversity for future generations.
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