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
Realism style colour tattoo of two grey dolphins leaping through a blue swirl with white stars, on the calf.
Two dolphins with stars on a leg
Black linework leg sleeve covering both legs from thigh to ankle, with a peony at the knee, hands in a mudra pose and ornamental patterns, on a grey bed.
Full leg sleeve with peony and hands
Colour tattoo of a beach sunset with palm tree silhouettes, birds and a star, in Realism style on the calf.
Beach sunset with palm trees on a calf
Back view of both legs with a black and grey woodcut-style tattoo of a sailing ship on the sea beneath clouds and sunrays, running from the thighs to the calves, in a Blackwork style.
Woodcut-style ship scene on both legs
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on a calf showing a circular night scene with a moon, a flying figure, clouds, mountains and a sailing ship on water.
Night sky landscape with ship on a calf
Black and grey engraved tattoo of a sailing ship in a bottle with waves and a sun, on the calf.
Ship in a bottle on the calf
Two black and grey fine line tattoos inside outlined triangles on the lower leg: a Hokusai-style wave on the left and pine trees with birds on the right.
Wave and pine trees in triangles on lower legs
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 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 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
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
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 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
Colour neo-traditional tattoo of a grey robot with a red panel and the lettering H-q, framed by brown swirling waves and a teal background with white circles, on the calf.
Robot with swirling waves on a calf
Colour realism tattoo of a surfer riding a turquoise wave on a lower leg, with the person wearing jeans and flip-flops on a wooden floor.
Surfer riding a wave on a calf
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
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
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
Neo-traditional tattoo on a calf of a bearded sailor smoking a pipe, with a sailing ship, orange roses, waves and a lighthouse.
Bearded sailor with ship and roses on a calf
Traditional style tattoo on the lower leg of a palm tree, red hibiscus, waves and the words Endless Holiday, with a sailing ship running down the shin, photographed on a beach.
Palm tree and ship on the lower leg
Person seen from behind with a full blackwork tattoo covering the back, buttocks and legs, featuring a lattice spine panel, swirling motifs and hexagon patterns.
Full back and legs blackwork tattoo
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of a dragon and an eye with wave and cloud details on a lower leg, above black trainers with a floral swoosh.
Japanese dragon and eye tattoo on a calf
Colour traditional tattoo on a calf showing a woman clinging to a cross beside a ship, under a banner reading Rock of Ages.
Rock of Ages cross and woman on a calf
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 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
Full body Japanese style tattoo with koi, dragon and lotus motifs across the arms, chest and legs of a seated person against a black background.
Japanese bodysuit with koi and dragon
Black and grey Japanese-style tattoo of a large wave in a circle, with dotwork stippling and a small Mount Fuji, on the calf.
Great Wave in a dotwork circle on a calf
Colour realism tattoo of a great white shark breaching above waves and a second shark with open jaws beneath the surface, on the calf.
Great white sharks on a calf
Black line tattoo of four elemental symbols stacked down the outside of a lower leg, showing water, earth, fire and air.
Four element symbols down a calf
Two calves with tattoos: pink cherry blossom branches on the left leg with script lettering along the shin, and a grey realistic Buddha head with blossoms and waves on the right leg.
Cherry blossom and Buddha on both calves
Black and grey tattoo of stylised sea waves and rocks with dotted shading on the calf, with a green string anklet and grey canvas shoe.
Stylised waves and rocks on a lower leg
Japanese style fish tattoo with red scales and black linework on a calf, with a black paisley sneaker resting on a metal rail.
Fish tattoo on a calf
A colourful Japanese-style tattoo sleeve covering a leg from thigh to calf, with a yellow creature, a red fish and green clouds.
Colourful Japanese-style leg sleeve
Black and grey Japanese-style tattoos of clouds and swirls cover both calves, with orange canvas trainers on a wooden floor.
Japanese-style leg tattoos on calves
Colour Japanese style tattoo of a katana over blue waves and orange sun shapes on the calf, shown in three views.
Katana and waves on a calf
Full body Japanese style tattoo covering a man's arms, chest, back and legs, with a dragon, cherry blossoms, clouds and waves in bright colour on grey shading.
Full body Japanese bodysuit tattoo
Traditional style tattoo of a sailing ship with red and yellow accents on a calf, with the words Loose lips sink ships on a banner below.
Sailing ship with banner on a calf
Colour traditional-style tattoo of a green sea turtle with a yellow and black compass rose shell on a calf, set against blue-grey clouds.
Turtle with compass shell on a calf
Black and grey whale tail tattoo with dotwork shading and fine line waves, placed on the lower leg above a sock.
Whale tail above waves on a lower leg
Front and back views of a full body Japanese style tattoo with a large orange koi, cherry blossoms and grey waves across the back, arms, torso and legs.
Full body Japanese irezumi with koi and cherry blossom
Black dotwork tattoo on a calf, a circle split like a yin-yang with a night sky, moon and pine trees on one side and waves and an animal's face on the other.
Yin-yang landscape on a calf
Circular tattoo on the lower leg showing a blue Japanese-style wave beneath the black lettering I AM THE SEA AND NOBODY OWNS ME.
Wave and quote on a calf
Fine line mermaid tattoo with flowing red hair, a shell top and blue wash water splashes on the lower leg.
Mermaid with red hair on a calf
A colourful Japanese-style dragon tattoo with orange and blue scales runs down a leg onto the ankle, where cherry blossom sprigs sit beside a white strap heel.
Dragon tattoo on a leg in white heels
Traditional style tattoo of a bearded merman in a top hat and eye patch, with a blue and teal scaled tail, on a calf.
Bearded merman in top hat on a calf
Colour Japanese-style tattoo of pink peonies with green leaves and black and grey waves on a leg, with a grey lotus on the ankle.
Japanese peony and wave leg sleeve
Black and grey hatched tattoo of a curling wave inside a circle, with fine script arcing across the top, on a lower leg.
Hatched wave in a circle on a lower leg
Full leg tattoos in Japanese style with colourful chrysanthemums and waves on black shading, on the thighs and calves of a person seen from behind.
Japanese chrysanthemum leg tattoos