As an important instrument for optical observation in the water, lidar is able to efficiently obtain vertical profiles of ocean optical properties. Based on the airborne lidar model of Gordon (1982) for measuring water optical property, the processes of shipborne lidar radiative transfer and distribution of underwater light field were investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. In particular, taking into consideration receiving FOV and telescope aperture, a shipborne oceanographic lidar simulator was developed. After lidar radiative transfer was equivalent to solar radiative transfer, the simulator was validated with commonly used HydroLight which showed good coincidence. On this basis, using simulated lidar return signal, the relationships between lidar extinction coefficient α and ocean optical properties were analyzed for different observation modes and typical water bodies. The results of shipborne lidar show that with narrow receiving field of view(FOV), lidar extinction coefficient α is close to beam attenuation coefficient c, and with large receiving FOV, lidar extinction coefficient α gradually approaches to diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance Kd. The extinction coefficient α measured with shipborne lidar approaches to Kd slower than the airborne situation. The results of stratified water show that the α values measured in lower layer water shift towards the α values in upper layer water. The results provide the further understanding for researching the relationship between parameters measured by oceanographic lidar and ocean optical properties.