Abstract: The disclosure relates in some aspects to Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) for underwater applications. An exemplary LIDAR system described herein uses a green and/or blue semiconductor laser, which is self-injection locked using a high-quality factor micro-resonator, such as a whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator. The self-injection locking results in a single mode operation of the laser and reduction of its linewidth. The self-injection allows transferring frequency modulation from the optical micro-resonator to the laser frequency without significant impact on the power of the laser. In some examples, the LIDAR operates in a continuous wave frequency modulated (CWFM) mode. The CWFM LIDAR may be used for ranging, velocity determination, etc., particularly for underwater applications and may be mounted to watercraft or to aircraft designed to fly over water to take underwater measurements.