77 Amazing Ocean Tattoo Ideas [2024 Inspiration Guide] (2024)

Many individuals use an ocean tattoo as a metaphor for mystery, depth of character, and the intricacy found in the human mind.

Other tattoos holding symbolic meaning with the ocean are simpler: many people live their lives at or near the water and are tied to the waves and flow of the tide or find magicincreatures living underwater.

The depth of oceans, their dark vastness making up more than 90% of the world’s surface, and the fact we humans cannot breathe underwater unaided in provides traction to the concept of mystery.Their sheer size and difference within them make for brilliant tattoo ideas.

The innumerable strange, interesting creatures that live underwater, from the massive, ponderous whales, the ancient turtle,orthe blind fish in the darkness, also hold mystery and magic.

Surfers, sailors, swimmers and fisherman – who hail from coastal cities, towns, and villages – often get tattoos to signify their love for the deep blue seas, the beaches, or for its providence.Their respect and love for the ocean is often depicted with body art.

Read on for our beautiful tattoo gallery celebrating the ocean, the coast, and the animals that callit home.

1.OceanSleeve TattooDesign

A talented tattoo artist can take any oceanconceptyou wish for and turn it into atop-quality sleeve. If you’re looking to combinean idea laden with symbolic meaning – such as the ocean’s depthsand personality – withfrolicking/dangeroussea creatures oracoloreffect like the sun’sred oceansheen–then these examples will serve nicely as inspiration.

The artists here haveapplied bright and rangy color palettes, realisticdetailin thesea creature – thathungry GreatWhiteand the torpedo looking killer whales areamazinglybad ass – and shadow/shading effectsand white ink fillsin the patterns of the water.

I love the red ocean tattoo effectof the sun glinting on thesurface of the water andapproachingbluebarrel. It’s something you’d find in a landscape paintingor waterphotography collectionof a gnarly longboarderfrom Santa Monica.

2. WhaleTattooing

I love the different application each tattoo artist in these examples have used to convey the sheer size and scale of these whales. Some have been given the chance to go largeand deploy more than one of the massive sea creatures on skin.

Other tattooists, with more restricted room to work with, haveeithersimplified their whale by creating awater frame to shape the image, or deployed an alternative such as breaching or image splitting to convey size.

Check out the killer whalecolorfishbowlidea–itstands out bycreatinga borderto operate withinandconveys theOrca’ssizeandpotentialmenace despitecontaininga brightlycheerful image of clown fish and coralinside.

3. ShipTattoo

See Also

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The range of technical applications in these ship tattoo ideas are brilliant. There’s evenvariety from the classical pirateor clipper ships a sailor would have gotten inked back in the day.

Each example above features a small piece of brilliant technical work. There’s the use of scrubby blackhatchworkthat’s in betweendotworkand slash, some cheeky white pigment highlights to give the art some glow, or canny use of negative space.

I like how the larger upper arm tattoos create their borders quite naturally with wave or rope or octopus tentacle, while other tattooson the leg or forearmgo foran alternative light bulb,or even no border but an ending of color.

If you could ‘pause’ life for a bit on one of those Boston whalers (I think that’s what it is), things can’t be going too bad.

4. Landscapes/Sceneryfeaturing Ocean Tattoos

Such a tremendous range of ideas expressed in these landscape tattoo designs. All have concepts tied to the ocean, whether it’s a sunrise or sunset over thestill water,crashing, churning waves,waterfilled with all manner of ocean creature, or even a memento mori tattoo reminding you that death waits for us all.

I love how any person can walk into a tattoo studio with the same basic idea, but have it expressed in anyone of 1 million different ways. I think that’s part of the mysterious aspects of an ocean tattoo – that it affects everyone profoundly, buton anindividuallevelas well.

5. WatercolorOcean Tattoo Ideas

You can’t have a watercolor tattoo without some water effect, so it’san application that works well in an ocean tattoo idea.These examples display the tremendous range in blue color you can apply to yourink, or even other colors that can be used to accentuate the central linework and concept.

To be able to put a large amount of color in the body art, but have it complementary to the central design(such as geometric linework)or overall concept(such as a semi colon tattoo) works well for those looking to use colorwith more nuance.

6.Wave Tattoos withColorInspiration

These color waves don’t differ much from the watercolor tattoo examples above, they tend toward more standard blue ink. In a paint store they’d be filed under some variation using the term ocean, and for good reason.

What’simpressive about each example – whether Japanese influenced, or more western application – is that they look to complement their waves with smartuse of white pigment. In some, it’s a clear designfeatureand focal point, while in othersit’s a very subtle highlight meantto finish off the art.

7.OceanCreatureTattoo Design

I have a life size octopus tattooed on my right side, an armyof koi fish, andacouple of churning waveshere and there. I’m all about oceancreature and watertattoo, mostly because they’re badass, but also partly because they’re weird, interesting, and mysterious.

These examples tackle the amazing groups of sea creature in myriad different ways, all with great skill in applicationtechnique. The only one I wouldn’t consider myself is the sting ray – and that’s purely because of Steve Irwin– but the rest all offer the kind of wonder you get when visiting anamazingaquarium, or gaze through a glass bottom boat

8. Delicateand Small Tattoo

You need not go large under the water. There’s variety to be had in minimalist, delicate, or small tattooidea. The natural advantage to these types of tattoo image are that they can be placed demurely away for you and the chosen few, or proudly front and centerfor everyone to admire.

9. LineworkOcean Tattoo Ideas

A tattoo artist that loves linework can have a lot of fun with different ocean tattoo ideas. Waves flow and heave in different types of lines, as do sea creatures like the jellyfish, turtle, marlin, or shark. All it takes is to figure out how a subject wants these lines displayed, then get stuck in.

10. Traditional and Neo Traditional

Both conventional old school tattoo andmore hyperactive offshoot fundamentally need to work with designs of the ocean.A man walks into a tattoo shop… for 40 years would most like have been a sailor or serviceman of some description, so these designs are bread and butter.

Putting these examples under one heading allows for good comparison of the similarities and differences. The linework, color application, and central imagery align, however the color palettes and peripherals don’t.It doesn’t really matter when you get results like these.

11.Black and GrayWaveTattoo Design

Waves are linked to the idea of motion and the inexorability of tides and time. They never cease travelling, even in motion when seeming completely still. Being ableto depict the movement of waves and tides in black and gray ocean tattoo design takes skill and mastery.

These tremendous ocean wave tattoo ideas show off all the techniques displayed in other techniques. It’s like without shackles of color, the application behind each piece can be explored to the fullest.

Looking for more inspiration in planning you new tattoo? Click on the links below for more cool tattoo galleries:

• Mermaid Tattoo Design
• Top 113 Beach Tattoo Ideas
• Shark Sleeve Tattoo Design
• Top 51 Simple Leg Tattoo Ideas