Underwater wireless optical communication, a critical technology for achieving high-speed and large-capacity data transmission in aquatic environments, has received extensive attention in recent years. This paper summarizes the working principle of underwater optical communication, analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of underwater optical communication compared with other traditional of underwater communication methods, and the core technologies of underwater wireless optical communication systems are systematically expounded, with a focus on key technologies such as the selection of transmitting light sources, the construction and attenuation of underwater channels, and signal modulation and codec schemes. At the same time, the future development trend of underwater wireless optical communication is summarized, which provides a reference for the future development of underwater wireless optical communication.