Wave tattoo ideas

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

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Close photograph of a black tribal-style tattoo of dolphins and fish with swirling linework on a limb, placement not clearly identifiable.
Tribal dolphin and fish tattoo
Black and grey photograph of a blackwork chevron armband tattoo wrapped around a forearm, with a blurred street behind.
Chevron band tattoo on a forearm
Black and white flash design of a bearded figure framed by two surfboards, anchors, waves and dotwork bands, with no body placement shown.
Symmetrical surfboard figure flash
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
Blackwork tattoo of wavy parallel black lines forming a fingerprint-like pattern across the inner forearm.
Wavy black lines on a forearm
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 white Polynesian tribal sleeve design drawn as a full arm, with spirals, chevrons and wave motifs on a white background.
Polynesian tribal arm sleeve design
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 white tribal flash design of spirals, wave bands and triangles, drawn to fit a full arm sleeve.
Black tribal sleeve design with spirals
Japanese-style wave tattoo with pale outlines over solid black ink, running along a forearm.
Stylised waves on a forearm
Black and grey wave tattoo with curling crest inside an inverted triangle outline on the inner forearm, in a Japanese-inspired style.
Wave inside an inverted triangle on a forearm
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 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 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
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
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
Blackwork armband tattoo of stacked chevron bands on a forearm, photographed on a blurred city street.
Black chevron band on a forearm
Black and grey blackwork sleeve in a Polynesian-style tribal pattern covering a man's upper arm and forearm, with a wristwatch on the wrist.
Polynesian-style sleeve on forearm and upper arm
Black ink tattoo of four palm trees above a dotted sand band with wave lines, wrapping around the inner forearm.
Palm trees and beach band on forearm
Black and grey blackwork tattoo on an upper arm showing a sailing ship, a hot air balloon with a Take Me Home banner, and stylised waves, shown in two side-by-side photographs.
Sailing ship, hot air balloon and waves on upper arm
Solid black blackwork tattoo across a man's back, with bold abstract shapes over the shoulders and circular motifs running down the spine.
Black abstract back tattoo with spine motifs
Black blackwork band tattoo with geometric patterns, dots and wave lines wrapping the upper thigh, with a small heart tattoo on a finger.
Geometric blackwork band on a thigh
Black linework tattoo of a sailing ship tossed by waves beneath a rain cloud, in a blackwork style, on the upper arm.
Sailing ship in a storm on the upper arm
Black and white photo of two blackwork thigh tattoos, one showing a sunburst over a horizon and the other showing clouds over waves, worn on the thighs.
Sun and sea scene on both thighs
Black and grey traditional tattoo of a skull with roses, palm trees and a sunset over waves, on the outer thigh.
Skull with roses and palm trees on a thigh
Black and grey dotwork tattoo on an upper arm and shoulder showing a whale tail above a man in profile with a moustache, with a bearded man in the waves.
Whale tail and face in the sea 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
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 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 tribal swirl tattoo with wave-like linework on the hip and upper thigh of a person swimming underwater.
Tribal swirl tattoo on a hip
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
Black and grey blackwork tribal flame tattoo with a thin-line infinity loop and curled ends, placed on a shoulder.
Tribal flame and infinity swirl on shoulder
Black and grey infinity symbol tattoo on the ankle with tribal patterns in the loops and the word ohana in script across the centre.
Infinity symbol with ohana script on ankle
Black and grey hibiscus flower with tribal swirl and chevron banding tattooed on the outer thigh.
Hibiscus and tribal swirls on a thigh
Black and grey dotwork tattoo of a cat in a striped jumper fishing from a rowboat under a dotted crescent moon, on the upper back.
Cat fishing from a rowboat on the upper back
Black tribal-style dolphin design with swirling wave patterns on a white background, shown as a stencil-style drawing with no body placement visible.
Tribal dolphin design in black linework
Black tribal spiral and wave design tattoo wrapping around the upper arm and shoulder, in a blackwork style.
Tribal armband tattoo on upper arm
Black tribal design of a hibiscus, two plumeria flowers and curling spirals, shown as a drawing with no body placement visible.
Hibiscus and plumeria tribal design
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
Black ink flash design of a white silhouetted creature framed by swirling waves, scale patterns and fine dotwork.
Silhouette within swirling waves
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 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
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 and grey Polynesian-style tribal tattoo with spirals and triangles wrapping the upper arm, with stippled dotwork shading.
Polynesian-style tribal upper arm tattoo
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
Two solid black circular tribal designs with spiral motifs and a central wave-like symbol, shown as line art on a white background.
Two circular tribal spiral designs
Black blackwork tattoo of a crescent moon, stars and stylised waves inside a circle, placed on the upper back near the shoulder blade.
Moon and waves in a circle on the upper back