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
Black and grey traditional-style tattoo of a lighthouse, ship's wheel and waves on the upper thigh, with a partly visible banner quote.
Lighthouse and ship's wheel on thigh
Close crop of a bold black tribal-style band with swirling curls across a man's lower abdomen above his jeans, in blackwork style.
Black tribal band across the lower abdomen
Black palm tree tattoo with a small wave beside it on the ankle and foot, drawn in a simple botanical style.
Palm tree and wave on an ankle
Black and grey forearm tattoo of a bold sunburst with rays above a shaded mountain and rolling waves, in a realistic style.
Sunrise over mountains and sea on a forearm
Black and white flash design of a tribal sun face surrounded by spirals, chevrons and bold curved blackwork shapes, with no body part shown.
Polynesian-style sun face and spiral design
Black cursive script lettering tattooed on the top of a foot near the ankle, with waves breaking on sand behind it.
Cursive script tattoo on a foot at the beach
Black and white photograph of a fine line wave tattoo on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Small wave tattoo on the inner wrist
Blue and teal tattoo of a circle filled with spirals and wave lines, with splash marks around its edge, on the upper back near the shoulder blade.
Circular wave emblem on upper back
Black and grey Polynesian-style tribal tattoo with spirals and triangles wrapping the upper arm, with stippled dotwork shading.
Polynesian-style tribal upper arm tattoo
Pen drawing of a traditional-style anchor wrapped in rope, with a seagull, a ribbon banner reading family and blue water, shown as a design with no body placement.
Anchor and rope design with family banner
Neo-traditional tattoo of pale scrolling ornaments over purple and teal waves on a limb, shown fresh and glossy with ointment.
Scrolling ornament and waves on a limb
Collage of four black and grey tattoos on skin: a dotwork pine tree with roots, a geometric fox head, a sailboat above a geometric iceberg, and a botanical bouquet of flowers and wheat.
Four black and grey tattoos: tree, fox, sailboat, flowers
Colour tattoo of stylised teal and blue ocean waves with white foam crests and black outlines, on the forearm.
Stylised ocean waves on a forearm
Fine line black and grey tattoo of a curling wave inside a circle, placed on the inner forearm.
Small circular wave on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a breaking wave and a sailing ship, split into rectangular panels, on the upper arm of a person in a dark t-shirt.
Wave and ship on upper arm
Black and grey realistic full arm sleeve showing a galleon under sail, churning waves and a shark, across the upper arm and forearm.
Galleon and shark full arm sleeve
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a stretched white cat with black skulls and red eyes over teal waves on the top of a foot, with a red crab on the ankle.
Stretching cat with skulls on a foot
Colour tattoo of a leaping dolphin above stylised waves on a person's lower abdomen, above low-rise blue jeans.
Dolphin and waves on the lower abdomen
Colour tattoo of a blue swirling wave shape with light highlights and small dots, on the top of a foot.
Blue swirl tattoo on the top of a foot
Colour traditional-style tattoo of an anchor, rope and clouds covering a forearm, with a wooden watch on the wrist and pine trees behind.
Anchor and rope sleeve on a forearm
Japanese style full arm sleeve with red lotus flowers, teal shading and grey clouds across the upper arm and forearm.
Lotus flowers and clouds on a full arm sleeve
Black and grey Japanese style back tattoo with curling waves, a scaled creature and lotus flowers, extending down the left arm in a sleeve.
Back and arm sleeve with waves and dragon
Black and grey dotwork fish tattoo spanning the upper chest and shoulder, with fine geometric lines and wave-like fronds beside it.
Dotwork fish tattoo on chest and shoulder
Woman with purple hair seen from behind, standing in sea spray, with a colourful cosmic tattoo of planets and swirling shapes across her back and shoulder.
Galaxy tattoo on a back in the sea
Black and grey fine line tattoo on a forearm, with a sun, mountains and pines above a sunflower on one band and a crescent moon and stars on a lower band.
Mountain, sunflower and moon forearm bands
Full Japanese-style sleeves on both arms and a chest piece, with pink and yellow koi, cherry blossoms and black-grey waves, shown on a shirtless torso.
Japanese koi and blossom full sleeves
Traditional style colour tattoo on a thigh showing a sailing ship inside a ship's wheel, with an anchor, a rose and a small cross.
Sailing ship and anchor in a ship's wheel on thigh
Traditional style colour tattoo of a sailing ship above an anchor and waves, framed by green leaves and a red rose, on an upper arm.
Ship, anchor and rose on an upper arm
Colour traditional tattoo of a red and white lighthouse with orange light beams, waves and clouds, framed by a rope border and banner on a forearm.
Lighthouse and waves with banner on a forearm
Fine line tattoo of a wavy stroke ending in an arrowhead, in dark blue ink on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Wave and arrow line tattoo on a wrist
Japanese style design drawing of a Guanyin figure with praying hands, a red lotus and swirling waves, shaded in black, grey and red.
Guanyin with lotus and waves design
Colour traditional tattoo of a large sailing ship on rolling blue waves, with clouds, gulls and a red flag, across the upper arm and shoulder.
Sailing ship with waves on upper arm
Line drawing of a tattoo design in muted lavender ink on white, showing an anchor-like motif with a circle, waves, a diamond and a linear ornament, with no body placement shown.
Anchor and waves tattoo design
Traditional style tattoo of two black palm trees on an island above a red sun and blue waves, on the inner forearm.
Palm trees and red sunset on a forearm
Back of a woman with two traditional-style pin-up tattoos in red and grey, one with two swallows and one with an anchor, across the upper back.
Twin seated pin-up figures with swallows on a back
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a whale tail rising from waves, with stippled shading and a bold outline, on the calf.
Whale tail above waves in dotwork
Black linework tattoo of scallop shells and waves with scroll details on a forearm, held over a rocky tidal pool.
Shell and wave tattoo on a forearm
Pencil sketch of a mermaid with long flowing hair and a scalloped shell tail, drawn on a sketchbook page, suitable as a fine line tattoo design.
Mermaid with shell tail sketch
Black and grey realism tattoo of a galleon at sea with a skull in storm clouds, on the upper arm.
Galleon and skull in storm clouds
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of blue waves running down a bare back, with pink and orange lotus flowers at the lower back.
Blue waves and lotus flowers across a back
Black and white photo of a small fine line wave tattoo on a person's upper back, with a curling crest and trailing lines.
Fine line wave tattoo on upper back
Small solid black tattoos on four fingers of one hand, showing a seahorse, a spiral shell, a mermaid silhouette and a wave swirl.
Small sea-themed finger tattoos
Two colour flash designs on a white background: a blue water and red flame yin-yang, and a sun and moon face in blue and gold, in a traditional style.
Yin-yang fire and water with sun and moon face
Colourful neo-traditional tattoo of a whale decorated with sailboats, fish and an umbrella, with a bird on top, on the inner forearm.
Whale with sailboats on a forearm
Black and grey tattoo of a three-masted ship inside a bottle on the inner forearm, shaded with fine engraved hatching.
Ship in a bottle on forearm
Black and grey realism tattoo of a surfer riding a curling wave above hibiscus flowers on the upper arm and shoulder.
Surfer riding a wave with hibiscus flowers
Black and grey tattoo of an old map with a compass rose, mountains and a flying figure above, with a quote in script, across the side of the ribs.
Map and compass rose on the ribs
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on a forearm, shown inside a diamond shape with a moon, pine trees and mountains above wavy horizontal bands.
Moon and mountains in a diamond on a forearm