Wave tattoo ideas

1,081 photos and flash · 24% Japanese, 20% Fine line · Forearm most common

What will it cost? Try the tattoo cost calculator
Colour tattoo of a sailing ship, red sun, waves and an octopus across the side of a torso and upper thigh, in a Japanese and traditional style.
Sailing ship and octopus side piece
Two photographs of a full body Japanese-style tattoo: on the left a back piece seen while kneeling in water, on the right a torso and sleeves with an eagle, cherry blossom and koi.
Full body Japanese-style tattoo in two views
Blue line drawing of a rayed sun with the words You are my sunshine written in script and capitals inside it, shown as a tattoo design on a white background.
You are my sunshine lettering in a sun
White line drawing of a whale tail fluke on a dark navy background, with mountains, waves and a whale scene filling its shape, shown as a design with no body placement.
Whale tail filled with mountains and sea
Close photograph of a small black and grey skull tattoo at the base of a finger, with a fading wavy line running along the finger.
Skull and wave line on a finger
Pencil drawing of a Japanese-style foo dog with a flowing mane and tail, standing among swirling clouds, shown as a black and grey tattoo design sketch.
Japanese foo dog with swirling clouds
Black and grey wrist tattoo of palm trees, a crescent moon, stars and waves inside a circle, shown on a forearm near the wrist.
Palm trees, moon and waves on a wrist
Fine line tattoo of three small waves on the inner wrist, shown in a close-up and in a wider photo of a hand resting on a table.
Three small waves on the inner wrist
Colour flash design of a monkey king in gold and green armour holding a staff, with red dragons, leaves and waves, in Japanese style.
Monkey king with red dragons and golden staff
Fine line black tattoo of three connected waves on a person's lower abdomen, just above the waistband of light blue denim jeans.
Three fine line waves on the lower abdomen
Black and grey drawing of a Japanese-style dragon coiling through clouds above a swirling wave, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement.
Japanese dragon with clouds and swirling wave
Black and grey engraved-style tattoo of a lighthouse on rocks inside an oval laurel frame, placed across a person's upper back.
Lighthouse in an oval frame on a back
Traditional-style flash design of a bearded sailor in a knitted cap smoking a pipe, framed by rope, with an anchor, laurel leaves and a red flower below.
Bearded sailor with pipe and anchor
Black and white photo of a fine line tattoo on the heel showing a tree, a wave and a mountain peak in a row.
Tree, wave and peak fine line on a heel
Large black and red tribal tattoo of spirals and wave motifs across a person's side and ribs, photographed from behind.
Tribal spiral tattoo along the ribs
Black and white flash design of a fish caught on a hook above waves, with the words Good Hope in lettering along the bottom.
Fish on a hook with Good Hope lettering
Fine line black tattoo of a single unbroken wave crossing the forearm.
Single line wave on a forearm
Black ink flash design of a white silhouetted creature framed by swirling waves, scale patterns and fine dotwork.
Silhouette within swirling waves
Black traditional-style swallow flying over waves and a sun, printed as a graphic on a grey vest top against a teal wooden background.
Traditional swallow over waves design
Small black fine line wave tattoo on the upper back of a person wearing a blue bra, with a tiled floor and a chair in the background.
Fine line wave on upper back
Black and grey blackwork tattoo of mountains above rippling sea inside a circle, placed on the lower leg.
Mountains and sea in a circle on a leg
Black and grey tattoo of a striped lighthouse surrounded by swirling clouds and waves, covering a forearm.
Lighthouse and clouds on a forearm
Black fine line tattoo of a heartbeat-style wave across the inner wrist, photographed in black and white.
Heartbeat line tattoo on a wrist
Japanese style chrysanthemum tattoo in orange and grey shading covering a forearm, with wave shading above and small script on the wrist.
Chrysanthemum sleeve on a forearm
Black line drawing of the Aquarius water bearer figure pouring water, with a wave symbol and the word AQUARIUS beneath it, shown as a tattoo design with no body placement visible.
Aquarius water bearer zodiac design
Three side-by-side views of a full back tattoo in colour, with blue waves and a figure on one side and orange flames on the other, shown on a bare back.
Full back piece, water and fire split, three views
Black and grey tattoo of an anatomical heart on a forearm, with stormy waves, clouds and a small house drawn inside the heart.
Anatomical heart with waves and a house
Traditional style tattoo of a palm tree, red setting sun and hibiscus-like flowers on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Palm tree and sunset on a forearm
Full arm sleeve tattoo in dotwork and geometric patterns, with black and grey shading on the shoulder and upper arm fading to red and orange dots on the forearm.
Geometric dotwork sleeve with a pale sun
Black ink drawing of a lighthouse within stippled clouds, with a compass rose below it on waves, shown as a tattoo design on paper.
Lighthouse and compass rose design
Black and grey Japanese full back tattoo of a lion dog, tiger, clouds and lotus flowers, with a cicada on the upper arm.
Full back Japanese lion dog and tiger piece
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a rising sun over teal waves and pine trees, with grey clouds on the shoulder, shown on an upper arm from three angles.
Sun, waves and clouds on an upper arm
Black and grey dotwork skull tattoo on a shoulder, with a scalloped crown filled with raindrop dots and wave lines.
Skull with raindrops on the shoulder
Loose blue watercolour and black ink drawing of a curling wave on white paper, with splattered ink dots around it.
Blue ink and watercolour wave
Black and grey sleeve tattoo of a ship's wheel, waves, clouds and script reading 'of the Sea', with pink flowers, on an upper arm and shoulder.
Ship's wheel and sea sleeve on an upper arm
Colour tattoo of swirling blue and black lines beside a yellow and orange sun on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Swirling night sky and sun on a wrist
Traditional-style winged sailing ship design with a globe and banner, printed in red and grey on the back of a black t-shirt.
Winged sailing ship design on a t-shirt
Black dotwork and linework tattoo on a forearm showing a sailing ship and a wave rising out of a pint glass, with a small cloud above.
Ship and wave in a pint glass on a forearm
Black and grey Japanese-style wave tattoo covering the upper arm and shoulder, with swirling curls and shaded crests.
Black and grey wave sleeve on upper arm
Three-panel photo of a colour Japanese-style forearm tattoo showing a blue horned sea serpent, red fish and outlined waves.
Blue sea serpent and red fish on a forearm
Close photo of a blue watercolour-style wave tattoo with splashes on the side of a person's ribs, below a black top.
Blue wave on the ribs
Coloured traditional-style flash drawing of a red and white striped lighthouse framed by a rope border, with a red flower at the top and an anchor at the bottom.
Traditional lighthouse and anchor flash design
Neo-traditional style line drawing of a woman with octopus tentacles and a sailing ship, shaded in red wash on a cream background.
Woman with octopus tentacles and a ship
Black ink Polynesian-style band tattoo with spirals and triangles wrapped around a tanned wrist, photographed against sand and sea foam.
Polynesian-style band tattoo on wrist
Black and green line drawing of a Polynesian-style tribal design with koru spirals and chevron bands, shown as a tattoo design on white paper.
Polynesian-style koru design with green fill
Black and grey realism design of Medusa, with a woman's face framed by coiled snakes and rippling water below, shown on a dark background.
Medusa with snakes in black and grey
Black and grey realism tattoo covering a man's back with a sailing ship on rough waves, a bearded face in the sea spray, an underwater scene and a temple, with tentacles on the upper arms.
Full back sailing ship and sea scene tattoo
Small black fine line tattoo of a sailboat on waves, placed on the inner wrist of a hand raised in front of a nautical chart.
Tiny sailboat tattoo on the wrist