Wave tattoo ideas

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

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Two black and grey dotwork tattoos inside circular outlines on the legs, showing a mountain range on the left and a curling wave on the right.
Mountain and wave tattoos in circle frames
Colour tattoo of stylised blue and teal waves with black outlines and a curled crest, on the thigh, in a Japanese-influenced style.
Stylised blue waves on a thigh
Full colour sleeve tattoo in a Japanese and traditional style on a raised arm, showing a rose, clouds, a wave and a script banner on the forearm and upper arm.
Colour sleeve with clouds and script banner
Black and grey tattoo with a red sun of a moustached man in profile, wavy lines and a pentagram on an upper arm.
Moustached man portrait and pentagram on upper arm
Full back Japanese style tattoo of samurai warriors, flames, clouds and birds, with blue waves across the lower back.
Japanese back piece with samurai and flames
Black and grey photo of a fine line wave tattoo with a small dot on the inner wrist, worn beside a silver chain bracelet with heart charms.
Fine line wave tattoo on a wrist
Small black tattoo of the Aquarius zodiac symbol, two wavy lines, on the lower abdomen above a patterned bikini bottom.
Aquarius zodiac symbol on the lower abdomen
Fine line black tattoo of a curling wave on the inner wrist of a raised hand, with the sea and sky behind.
Small wave tattoo on the wrist
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a maneki-neko lucky cat holding a gold coin, with koi fish and clouds, on the upper arm.
Maneki-neko lucky cat on upper arm
Blue Japanese-inspired wave tattoo with a handwritten quote on the inner forearm, reading You can't stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
Blue wave and quote on a forearm
Traditional tattoo of a ship in a bottle with an orange banner reading Steady as she goes, purple flowers and a ship's wheel on the upper arm.
Ship in a bottle with banner on upper arm
Back view of a woman on a beach showing a small black fine line wave tattoo on her left shoulder.
Small wave tattoo on a shoulder
Black and grey Japanese dragon full sleeve tattoo with scales, waves and clouds, covering the shoulder, upper arm and forearm.
Japanese dragon full sleeve
Black and grey dotwork and linework tattoo of a stylised Great Wave off Kanagawa inside a circle, with small circles and Mount Fuji, on a forearm.
Great Wave tattoo in a circle on a forearm
Person seen from behind with black and grey tattoos covering the back, neck and both arms, including a winged figure on the back and a rose on the upper arm.
Heavily tattooed back and arms seen from behind
Colour Japanese-style sleeve tattoo on an upper arm, with black and grey waves, green leaves and pink flowers.
Japanese sleeve with waves and blossoms
Traditional style tattoo of a green kaiju monster with an open mouth and red and orange details, set within a black circle with waves, on the thigh.
Kaiju monster in a circle on a thigh
Traditional style tattoo of a three-masted sailing ship on rough green waves with a red flower below, on a lower leg.
Galleon and flower on a lower leg
Colour tattoo of a red-haired mermaid with a teal tail and surrounding bubbles, covering the upper arm and shoulder.
Red-haired mermaid on upper arm
Black tribal-style flash design of two dolphins leaping above curling swirls and water splashes, with no body placement shown.
Two dolphins with tribal swirls
Full-colour Japanese style flash design of a green spotted lion dog beside a pink peony, set among black and grey waves and swirling clouds.
Peony and lion dog back piece design
Fine line tattoo of a small sailboat on waves, placed on the inner wrist of a hand raised above a nautical chart.
Small sailboat on the inner wrist
Black and grey photograph of a bare back and side with a flowing abstract fine line tattoo of wave-like strands across the ribs and lower back.
Flowing black lines across ribs and back
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a lighthouse with banner lettering on a person's calf, shown beside a black and grey flash design of the same lighthouse.
Lighthouse banner tattoo on a calf
Three views of a full arm sleeve tattoo in Japanese style, showing a man rowing a boat on blue waves and a red octopus with suckers on the upper arm and forearm.
Full sleeve of a boatman, waves and red octopus
Close-up of a small black fine line wave tattoo on the inner wrist, with a silver wave-shaped bangle and a turquoise sea behind.
Small wave tattoo on a wrist
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on a calf showing a storm cloud with lightning, a wave and a sailing ship rising out of a floral teacup.
Storm cloud and ship in a teacup on a calf
Black and grey Polynesian-style tattoo with tribal bands and two flowers across the back of a woman's neck and upper back.
Polynesian-style neck and upper back tattoo with flowers
Black ink line drawing of a sun with dotwork and rays above geometric mountains and wavy sea lines, all enclosed in a triangle, shown as a tattoo design on white paper.
Sun, mountains and waves in a triangle
Black line drawing of a koi fish with flowing fins and curling waves, shown as a Japanese style tattoo design on a white background.
Koi fish with swirling water design
Traditional style tattoo of a red and white striped lighthouse inside a rope frame, with a pink flower above, on the outer thigh.
Lighthouse and flower on a thigh
Large colour and grey back tattoo of two mermaids entwined in a circle, with an infinity symbol between them, red koi fish and fish skeletons around them.
Two mermaids in a circle with koi on a back
Black ink drawing of a lighthouse inside a circular compass rose, with dotwork and patterned panels, sketched as a tattoo design.
Lighthouse inside a compass rose design
Colour and grey tattoo of a mermaid inside an ornate oval frame on the outer thigh, in a neo-traditional illustrative style.
Mermaid in ornate frame on thigh
Small circular colour tattoo of a red and orange sunset over blue waves, with purple clouds and a yellow star, on the forearm.
Sunset over the sea in a circle on a forearm
A colour tattoo of a stylised lion head in orange, red and yellow, set against swirling blue waves with stars, on the inside of a forearm.
Geometric lion on a forearm
Two legs covered in colourful traditional tattoos, including roses, a dagger, a heart and a bird, photographed from above in a bath.
Traditional tattoos covering both legs
Colour tattoo of a dark surfer silhouette carrying a surfboard against an orange sunset and teal sea, on the outer arm.
Surfer silhouette at sunset on an arm
Black and grey tattoo of a sailing ship with birds flying off its sails, waves below and the words SAIL ON beside them, on the forearm.
Sailing ship and birds on an arm
Full body Japanese-style tattoo with green and orange dragons, koi and goldfish over black wave-patterned ground across the chest, arms and thighs.
Full body Japanese irezumi with dragons and koi
Black tribal-style sea turtle tattoo with wave motifs on the outer thigh, shown in a close photograph against a red background.
Tribal sea turtle and waves on a thigh
Black and grey realism tattoo of a compass over an old map with handwritten place names and a sailing ship, on a forearm.
Compass over an old map on a forearm
Black and white photo of a fine line tattoo of angular shapes on the outer side of a foot near the heel.
Thin line shapes on the side of a foot
Japanese style red and orange koi fish tattoo with black swirling waves and white highlights, shown from two angles on a limb.
Red koi fish with black waves
Traditional flash sheet of four designs in colour: chess pieces with a rose, a sunset over waves, an hourglass with a skull, and a fox with pine trees, above a BRAND NEW banner.
Traditional flash sheet with rose, fox and hourglass
Black and white photo of a single-line fine line wave tattoo on the side of a person's ankle and heel.
Fine line wave on the ankle
Full back tattoo in traditional style showing a swooping eagle above red roses, a sailing ship on waves and a red sun, with colour ink throughout.
Eagle, roses and sailing ship back piece
Black line drawing flash sheet of a saguaro-style cactus, prickly pear, crescent moon, fish, sun and wavy lines on a cream background.
Desert cactus flash sheet