Cooler water, yes. Deeper water, not necessarily. The kind we eat are normally just a few feet below the surface. Strong lighting is definitely not required, contrary to what someone earlier said. Probably thinking of the ornamental SW clams. And no... oysters don't take a hundred years to make pearls.
I think of the good oyster beds around me, and I'm thinking "good" filtration isn't necessarily required. They are filter feeders, so "dirty" water (but still chemically clean) is probably a good thing.