Wave tattoo ideas

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

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Black fine line tattoo of wavy parallel lines running from the shoulder down the upper arm, shown on a woman in a black bandeau top.
Wavy parallel lines across shoulder and upper arm
Close-up of a small black fine line sailboat tattoo on a person's upper arm, with a hand resting across the forearm.
Small sailboat on an upper arm
Two traditional colour tattoos on a lower leg, a hamburger with FOREVER HUNGRY lettering on the left and a sunset palm tree scene inside a television on the right, placed on the calf.
Hamburger and retro TV tattoos on a leg
Black and grey lighthouse tattoo within a leaf and flower wreath on the thigh, in a traditional engraved style with dotwork water.
Lighthouse in a floral wreath on a thigh
Black and grey realism tattoo of a city skyline with a clock tower, power lines and a pine forest over waves, across an upper arm and forearm.
City skyline, power lines and forest sleeve
Colour traditional tattoo of a red-haired mermaid in a shell top, with a skull under a spider web above her head and waves below, on an arm.
Mermaid with skull on an arm
Black ink tattoo of sailing ships, clouds and a rising sun with engraved-style sea lines, covering the thighs and calves of both legs.
Sailing ships and sunrise across both legs
Black Polynesian-style tribal tattoo with swirling bands wrapping around an ankle and up onto the top of the foot, in a black and grey photograph.
Polynesian-style tribal band on an ankle
Black wave band tattoo wrapping around a man's calf, with three rows of stylised waves in a bold geometric design.
Black wave band tattoo on a calf
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a whale, paper boats and a moon inside a circle on the inner forearm.
Whale and paper boats in a circle on forearm
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a breaking wave inside a circle on the inner wrist, shown in a close photograph.
Breaking wave in a circle on the wrist
Colour tattoo of a grey-blue heron with pink shading, standing among reeds on water, on the lower leg.
Heron standing in reeds on a leg
Black and grey fine-line geometric wave tattoo running from the upper back over the shoulder and down the outstretched upper arm.
Wave linework across back and arm
Fine line black tattoo of a small sailboat on waves on the inner wrist, with a nautical chart behind the raised hand.
Small sailboat on the inner wrist
Pencil sketch of a Japanese-style dragon with claws, whiskers and a scaled body, drawn in blue and red pencil for a tattoo design.
Japanese dragon design in pencil
Black and grey realism sleeve tattoo on an upper arm showing a pocket watch, a sailing ship in rough sea with a tentacle, and a dotwork mandala.
Pocket watch, ship and mandala sleeve
Colour tattoo of a red daruma doll with a scowling face and gold characters, framed by grey Japanese-style waves on the skin.
Daruma doll with grey waves
Painted flash design of a pink seahorse among green seaweed, blue waves and bubbles, in a neo-traditional style with no body placement shown.
Pink seahorse with seaweed and waves
Fine line black wave tattoo on the inner forearm of a raised hand, with the sea and beach blurred behind at dusk.
Small wave tattoo on a forearm
Fine line tattoo of a half sun above three wavy horizontal lines on the upper arm, shown against a black sleeve.
Small sunset line tattoo on an upper arm
Teal and grey koru-style scroll tattoo wrapping around the ankle and onto the top of the foot.
Teal koru scrolls wrapping an ankle
Line drawing of a Japanese-style peony and chrysanthemum design with swirling waves and clouds on a dark background, shown as a tattoo design rather than on skin.
Japanese peony and wave design
Black and grey realism tattoo of a galleon under full sail above breaking waves, across a man's upper arm and shoulder.
Galleon and stormy waves on upper arm
Back view of two matching black and grey Japanese style tattoos on the calves, showing flower and flame motifs with wave lines below.
Matching Japanese flower tattoos on both calves
Traditional style tattoo of a ship's wheel over green waves with a banner reading Home Sweet Ocean, on the back of a hand.
Ship's wheel and Home Sweet Ocean banner
Black and grey fine line tattoo of an ECG heartbeat trace that turns into a wave, photographed on the upper chest in black and white.
Heartbeat line blending into a wave on the chest
Traditional style tattoo on a calf of a sailing ship in a storm above waves, with a compass rose and anchor chains below, in red, orange, yellow and grey.
Sailing ship and compass on a calf
Black tribal flash design of a turtle with spiral and wave patterns, set along a long curved band, with no body placement shown.
Tribal turtle design in a curved band
Fine line black sailboat tattoo on the inner wrist, shown against a nautical chart with a raised hand.
Small sailboat on the inner wrist
Traditional colour tattoo of a red and white lighthouse by the sea inside a rope-edged heart, with a pink flower and green leaves below.
Lighthouse and flower in a rope heart
Black and grey blackwork tattoo of a lighthouse under a starry night sky, enclosed in a teardrop shape on the forearm.
Lighthouse in a teardrop on a forearm
Colour Japanese koi fish tattoo with white wave swirls and a white lotus bloom, wrapping the shoulder and upper arm.
Koi fish and lotus on upper arm
Japanese style flash drawing of a green and red dragon coiling over black and grey waves, with a small cartoon figure in a yellow robe beside it.
Green dragon flash with wave background
Woman seen from behind with a full-back Japanese style tattoo of a dragon and waves, extending over the upper arms and thighs.
Full back and leg Japanese dragon tattoo
Black ink circular tattoo of a rising sun with rays, a rounded rock and wave lines, on the outer forearm.
Circular sun and sea scene on a forearm
White line drawing of a whale built from stylised waves on a navy background, with a tiny boat and figures in the sea, drawn as a flash design.
Whale formed from waves and a small boat
Pencil flash design of a pirate ship under a compass rose with Tinker Bell and shadowy figures, above the words Second star to the right and straight on till morning.
Pirate ship and compass rose flash design
Close-up of a fine line black wave tattoo on the inner forearm, near the wrist, with a blonde-haired person and a dark top in the background.
Fine line wave on the inner forearm
Pencil drawing of a tattoo design showing a striped lighthouse, a sailing ship and stormy waves framed inside a ship's wheel, in a traditional nautical style.
Lighthouse and sailing ship in a ship's wheel
Two stacked blue wave motifs with curled ends tattooed on the inner forearm near the wrist.
Double wave design on a forearm
Colour tattoo of a mermaid with a green tail rising from blue and white waves across the lower back, in a traditional style.
Mermaid rising from waves on lower back
Illustration of a hairless cat with a Japanese style koi fish, waves and clouds tattoo in blue and black, leaning over a pale hairless cat.
Tattooed hairless cat with a koi and waves design
Black and white photo of a small fine line tattoo of two wavy lines on the back of a hand making a V sign, with a torso in a dark crop top and white skirt behind it.
Tiny wavy lines on the hand
Traditional flash design of a paper boat on stippled waves beneath a red lightning bolt and clouds, framed by a rope border with a red flower at the base.
Paper boat and lightning in a rope oval
Fine line black wave tattoo on the inner wrist, with a blurred beach and sunset in the background.
Small wave tattoo on a wrist
Fine line black script reading let it be, set within a wave line on the outer ankle and foot, with a thin ankle chain and wooden decking behind.
Let it be script with wave on ankle
Flash sheet of metallic blue and bronze temporary designs showing palm trees, fern fronds, rope braids, anchors and the words live laugh love and hope, with no body placement visible.
Metallic flash sheet of palms, anchors and script
Fine line tattoo design of four small black icons in a row: a sun, three wavy lines, a mountain and a cross, on a plain light grey background.
Sun, waves, mountain and cross line icons