Water in dreams is connected to our emotions, but what about seeing waves in a dream? Waves are also linked to feelings, but they refer to the release of repressed emotions or emotional energies that you’ve been holding onto for a while.
But there’s a little more to it than that.
Dreaming of giant waves is a signifier of emotion brought about by a big event or emotion, such as starting a new chapter in your life, your family getting bigger, or feeling events in your life are battering you down and destroying your stability.
There are many reasons why waves might manifest in your dream, and it largely depends on the context.
Wading through large waves in your dream without falling over, for example, reflects how well you control your emotions, and you don’t let them get the better of you.
Let’s look at what your dream of big waves means to you.
Why Am I Dreaming Of Big Waves?
Picture a wave – any kind. I bet you thought of the sea, right? Or something else which contains a lot of energy, or is created by energy. The one thing that these all have in common is movement.
If you remember that water in dreams amounts to emotions, waves in dreams represent emotional energy and a shift in your feelings.
Water in dreams allows you to realize how you’re feeling unconsciously, and if there’s anything that you need to turn your attention to.
These are not emotions on the surface or fleeting everyday feelings. Instead, they are more of a deeper undercurrent that you are not aware of in your waking hours.
How you feel in a dream of seeing large waves is also important. Similarly, when you dream of a calm sea or swimming pool, watching the waves lap at the shore signals contentment and peace.
It can also mean that you’ve moved on from a difficult situation. You still think about something in your past, but it no longer affects you the way that it used to.
Depending on the shape of the waves, they can mean you’re looking toward the future. You may be considering ending a relationship, hobby, or way of life that no longer matters in the way it used to.
Why Are The Waves Created?
It’s worth remembering that waves do not happen on their own. Something else has to happen for them to exist, and it’s the same for your dreams.
The waves don’t just appear for context if you dream of walking down a beach, for example. They happen for a reason. Waves are also affected by things under the water’s surface, so dreaming of waves can offer you an insight into the deepest parts of your psyche.
If you have recurring dreams of waves, your subconscious is letting you know that you have some things to work through. Maybe you feel you cannot be honest with yourself or someone else.
Waves can also reflect a chain reaction in waking life, especially if the movement is particularly rhythmic in your dream. If you think that waking life’s problems are coming at you one after another with no break in between, you might have a dream like this.
As waves are created by movement, consider any movement or twists in your journey in waking life for context. Is there something motivating you right now? Something testing your patience and your skills to persevere?
If you dream of a dark ocean and see the waves crashing around you, this dream is a way of exploring the deepest corners of your mind, your innermost buried memories, and even the shadow aspect of your psyche.
What Does Dreaming Of The Elements Mean?
Waves in your dream represent the elements of air and water. The element of water in your dream symbolizes movement, the ability to adapt, and listening to what your emotions and intuition are telling you.
Maybe you’re fighting change in waking life, as you’re not sure what it will mean for you, and if it will be a good thing.
A dream of water can occur when you’re not listening to your instincts or intuition about unfolding events. You’re holding onto what you hope might happen, instead of what is likely to happen.
This creates discord. You’re not listening to yourself, and this inspires frustration, annoyance, and stress. Remember to consider everything objectively. A bad outcome might not happen at all, but you have to consider that it might.
The element of air in a dream represents your spiritual journey, life itself, communication, and energy. Air should not be dismissed in a dream – especially if you feel the wind on your face, as it is still a powerful force.
It also represents how life buffets you, changing your direction and providing twists in your own tale for you to react to. It’s not a steady journey by any means.
Air can also symbolize spirituality, where you can trust your guiding force not to lead you astray. You know the path you’re supposed to take.
Different Dreams Of Waves And Their Symbolism
Dreaming Of Large Waves
Large waves appearing in your dream usually represent a significant change in your life, affecting your stability in waking life the same way waves can knock you off your feet.
If you feel waking life is going brilliantly right now, this change is in your future, not in your present. This event will come to shape your personality to an extent, where it will serve as a guide for some of your future experiences.
Pay attention to the state and color of the water. If you see clear, crisp waves, this change is very positive, and will ultimately be for the best. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at first.
It also reveals the relative ease in which you’ll adapt to this change and a new way of life. Things will be much better than they were.
Dreaming of waves that are unclear or absolutely filthy represents a lot of negativity, feeling powerless, out of control, and difficulty adapting to changing circumstances.
If you dream of a large wave following or chasing you, this symbolizes the overwhelming problems you are trying to overcome. Be like the water, and adapt to your surroundings.
Waves Crashing Into You In A Dream
A dream where waves repeatedly crash into you reveals future discord in your spiritual or emotional wellbeing. This is especially true if the water reaches your neck in the dream, denoting struggle, conflict, and feeling unable to cope for a while.
This will manifest when you encounter an unexpected bump in the road on the path to success, when you will doubt yourself or your reasons for starting a project to begin with.
Dreaming of wading through crashing waves is a better dream to have. It implies that you have a handle on waking life to a certain extent, though things will be difficult.
While you feel challenged, you don’t feel completely overwhelmed or powerless.
You know you’ve got this, though it might be difficult to begin with, you are by no means thinking of defeat.
If you stagger in the dream, you’ll have a momentary blip of doubt in waking life when you’re first confronted with the problem. Regaining your balance mirrors how you will regain your sense of control.
Walking Through Waves In A Dream
A dream where you walk through waves signifies your ability to juggle your responsibilities and priorities. You’re well in control of nearly all aspects of life, and you know that if things get difficult, you will find a way through.
If you dream of walking through waves, and they drag you in a certain direction, this is your dream’s way of urging you to release any negativity you’re holding onto, as well as learning to let go of anything that’s disrupting your positivity or ability to get sorted.
This is also a common dream to have when you are not acknowledging your emotions, or being honest about how you feel about a troubling time in your life. Your dream is a way of beginning to acknowledge your feelings.
Surfing Large Waves In Your Dream
Dreaming of surfing on huge waves is a very good sign. It implies that you’ll stay on course in waking life, though things might be a little rocky, you won’t have too much trouble keeping yourself afloat.
This is an interesting dream image, as it can denote an emotional time, but you will stay on top of your emotions, and in some cases, use them to guide you through a strange time in your life.
A dream like this is a very positive sign, and something you should take going forward. It can denote great victory and significant gains in waking life.
If you’re moving towards a goal, you’ll find that things will soon get easier, and you’ll make more progress than you ever thought possible, all at once.
If you’re finding things difficult, your subconscious can throw you into a dream like this to reassure you that easier times are on the way. You are more in control of waking life than you think you are.
It may also be a call to be more mindful of what you spend your time and energy on. After all, you can’t get your time back, so make sure that you spend it on people that you love and things that you enjoy.
What Does It Mean To Dream Of Tidal Waves?
Tidal waves in waking life come about because of earthquakes or landslides. If we look at this spiritually, something in waking life has greatly moved you, just as a landslide or an earthquake can level buildings and cause all kinds of destruction.
Dreaming of tidal waves and feeling scared means that you’re overwhelmed by all of your emotions. Something has come along, and it means a huge change in your life, upsetting your equilibrium, and knocking out all of your priorities.
You’ll need to figure out how to reorganize yourself and make things make sense again. It will take time to regain a sense of control, but you will get there.
This might be in the future, rather than now. As we cannot control tidal waves, you feel you don’t have any say over a situation in waking life, though it still affects you greatly.
These dreams are very common when you have a lot on your plate, such as a looming deadline or a huge workload, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get things sorted, especially if the waves crash over you or drag you under the water.
If you dream of being swept up by a tidal wave, this implies that you are exhausted. Things are just too much right now. These dreams are especially common when waking life is spinning out of control, and you aren’t getting any sleep even though you feel wiped out.
Dream Meaning Behind Muddy Or Dirty Waves
If you have a dream where you see muddy or dirty waves, this denotes confusion and misfortune. You’re unsure of how things will turn out, but right now they don’t exactly look promising.
Consider also the rhythm of the waves. If they were rapid and violent, this refers to discord in your emotional wellbeing. You’re struggling to keep your emotions under control.
If you dream of slow, sluggish waves, you’re having difficulty making progress, or you feel sluggish and groggy in waking life. This can also point to a lack of motivation or your sense of purpose failing you.
Watching Waves In A Dream
A dream where you watch the waves roll onto the beach symbolizes your keen eye for future opportunities, and the gumption to take them where you can.
Watching waves in a dream is a way of making sense of your emotions lurking in your subconscious.
If you could see waves far away, and the weather is clear in your dream, this points to a great and balanced perspective in waking life. You view things as they are, not allowing your emotions to distort your opinion, but they provide insight occasionally.
On the other hand, dreaming of a very foggy ocean where you can only see the waves in front of you denotes confusion, distraction, and hoping against all the signifiers that something won’t happen.
This is a common dream to have when everything seems to have spun out of control, or you feel you can’t focus on what you want from the future, as everything is too much as it is.
This dream is simply a reflection of how you feel. To have recurring dreams of this type indicates that you need to gain clarity in your waking life.
Seeing Whitecap Waves In A Dream
Watching whitecap waves (waves with a white, frothy crest) in your dream is a positive sign, signaling how you’re getting through an unusual or difficult situation without doubting yourself to the point where you can’t focus.
You know that things will work out, as long as you keep going. Some things will sort themselves out, but you may need to keep trying in the meantime.
Dreaming Of Undercurrents
Undercurrents appearing in your dream to drag you under suggest that your responsibilities and your goals are pulling you in different directions, and you’re struggling for time.
As with water in waking life, this dream suggests there is some risk that you need to be very careful of. Maybe you’ve decided without considering all the possible outcomes, and any disastrous effect your choices could have on others, no matter how good your intentions are.
The Different Types Of Sea Waves And Their Dream Meaning
Different types of sea waves have different meanings in dreams, which means that dreams like this can be incredibly detailed.
The more information you can discover about the dream symbol, the better you’ll understand the symbolism behind your dream, and exactly what your subconscious is trying to tell you.
Here’s what you need to know.
Deep Waves
Deep waves are made up of several waves, each of which are different lengths. Deep waves can travel long distances, and should not be underestimated.
Dreaming of deep waves is a call to focus on what is important to you. They also represent the feelings that run the deepest.
Destructive Waves
A destructive wave forms in stormy weather. When the wind is high for a while, it sweeps up large waves and gives them destructive energy. This type of waves can travel a long distance, and erode the coastline.
In dreams, destructive waves appear when you want to make a huge leap forward in life. You long for significant progress, and you want it now.
Breaking Waves
A breaking wave occurs when a wave collapses on top of another. There are two types to know: the spilling breaker wave, which is where the wave hits the beach and breaks up completely, and the plunging breaker wave, which is the wave that just reaches the coastline.
As you can imagine, these waves are very common in waking life, so it’s not unusual that you would see them in your dream. They appear in dreams when you feel you are being guided or forced into a certain path.
These waves tend to happen when you’re unsure if the way things are unfolding is a good idea or not. You’re not clear about the path ahead, and if you need (or can) intervene.
Dreaming of breaking waves suggests that you feel challenged, but not overwhelmed. You know you have the power to change things, and you can work through any problem you’re facing.
You might also be enjoying the journey of figuring out what the best course of action is, and while things might be a little tough, you like the challenge.
Inshore Waves
An inshore wave is smaller than the depth of the water it enters, which slows down the potential speed of the wave. This means that the wave gets taller and decreases in width, and as it gets higher, it breaks.
A dream where you see inshore waves is a sign of prosperity for the future.
Internal Waves
Internal waves are one of the biggest types of waves, but you can’t see them on the surface as much as others. This is because they don’t form on the surface of the water.
Instead, internal waves are created between different layers of the ocean. Colder water sinks below warmer water, and when the tide moves these layers, you get internal waves.
One of the largest internal waves recorded is 550 feet tall, which gives you some idea of the scope of the internal waves!
Dreaming of internal waves implies that you need to focus your time and energy into getting a specific goal sorted. You need to invest in yourself.
Refracted Waves
Refracted waves are created in shallow water as they approach the shoreline. The lesser depth absorbs some of the energy, and causes the waves to curve.
These waves in your dream suggest that you are nearly at the end of a long and difficult path.
Shallow Water Waves
Shallow water waves are similar to deep water waves. They are created when the water is less deep than the wavelength. Typically, a shallow water wave is created when the depth of the water is less than a twentieth of the wavelength of the wave.
While they don’t sound dangerous, they come in two types: tidal waves, and tsunamis. Dreaming of shallow water waves indicates that waking life is getting the better of you.
Kelvin Waves
Kelvin waves happen when the wind doesn’t flow in the Pacific Ocean. These are created by gravity, and are controlled by the Earth spinning on its axis. They come in two forms, coastal, and equatorial, the latter forming at the Equator.
A dream of kelvin waves suggests that you are being influenced by your emotions in a situation where you need to use your head, and concentrate on making progress.
Swell Waves
Swell waves are created during storms, and can travel huge distances as they are created by a lot of energy.
Dreaming of swell waves suggests there is some emotional turmoil in waking life.
Progressive Waves
Progressive waves are easier to spot, as they move at a constant speed until they break. These waves come in three categories: capillary, transverse and orbital waves.
To see progressive waves in your dream is a good sign for the future. It means that while you might be encountering problems in life, they are not completely halting your progress, and if you keep at it, you’ll soon see the results you’ve been hoping for.
The Spiritual Meaning Behind A Dream Of Waves
As the ocean in dreams denotes your own emotions, waves point to any inconsistency in your thoughts or decisions and the choppiness of how you change your mind frequently.
If you dream of floating on waves without being scared you’ll be dragged into the depths, this is a very good sign and points to an improvement in your abilities and self-confidence. While you may encounter a horrible situation, it will ultimately make you a more capable person.
Dreaming of large waves that keep threatening to drag you under refers to how you feel vulnerable or something you love is at risk of being lost.
A dream where you are alone in the middle of the ocean, and all you can see are waves denoting how you feel removed or detached from the people closest to you. Normally, you’d look to them for support, but you can’t in this case.
Your dream urges you to find a way to cope on your own or seek the advice of someone who isn’t close to you.
Alternatively, a dream like this means that you’re exploring the shadow aspect of yourself, which contains your repressed memories, thoughts, and things that scare you. Only you can help yourself through this.
Dreams of waves usually point to your spirit and the emotional issues within.
The Spiritual Interpretation Behind Dreams Of Water
In many cultures, water is synonymous with spirituality, the power of nature, and being able to adapt what life throws at you. If you think about the element of water, it takes the shape of any container you pour it into, but it still behaves the same way when you pour it.
Water is also a good element to consider as over time, it smooths any surface it happens to run over. In dreams, this indicates that patience and perseverance are key to getting what you want out of life.
In dreams, water is also connected to spiritual wisdom. This is the practice of listening to yourself, knowing what is good for you, what really doesn’t gel, and what is the worst possible thing.
But it’s not enough to recognize these things. Seeing water in a dream urges you to listen to your spiritual wisdom, and make sure you are doing the best thing for you.
Water is also symbolic of life, and everything that comes with it. It is neither good nor bad on its own, but reflects all the triumphs and trials in waking life.
In some dreams, water represents a cycle, but this is less likely in dreams of waves, unless they are very rhythmic.
It’s also worth looking at water in terms of the Zodiac and Tarot, as this can give you additional insight into your dream.
Within the Zodiac, there are certain star signs that represent water, which are Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces. Fittingly, the people who identify as these signs are often very emotionally sensitive, letting their emotions be their guide through life, as well as both resilient and vulnerable, just like water.
In the Tarot, water is used in the card’s images to represent potential, intuition, energetic flow and spirituality, as well as emotions.
It can be easy to take water for granted, but we certainly wouldn’t exist without it. Water in your dream, especially waves, denotes a vital time in your life which will come to shape who you are.
Final Thoughts
A dream of ocean waves can offer a lot of insight, but you do need to look very carefully at the details of your dream in order to find out what your subconscious is trying to tell you.
Knowing the type of wave that you dream of, considering your feelings within the dream, and what the wave did to you (if anything) are all details you need to think about.
With such a detailed scenario, it’s worth keeping a dream diary to help record your dreams. This means that you can always return to finding the meaning behind your dream at a later date, without forgetting anything that happened.