Ocean Waves

What you are hearing

A one-minute-thirty-six recording of surf, played over and over, with each pass faded into the one before it over about two and a half seconds. That is a longer fade than the rain page uses, because waves have a shape — they build, break and draw back — and a join in the middle of one is easier to notice than a join in steady rain.

It is still a loop, and you may eventually hear the same wave arrive again. Ninety-six seconds is long enough that most people do not, which is the whole reason this recording was chosen over a shorter one.

The recording is 1.5 MB, fetched only when you press Play. It is the largest download on this page by a wide margin, so it waits until you have actually asked for it.

Waves, rain, or noise?

Surf works differently from rain. Rain is close to steady, so it masks conversation evenly; waves rise and fall, so the masking comes and goes with them, and a voice in the next room can surface in the gaps. If you need to cover a sound rather than sit beside it, brown noise is the blunter instrument. Waves are better company than they are camouflage.

For something with small events in it instead of long swells, there is Campfire Sounds.

Using it without regretting it

1. 1

   Start quieter than you think. The peaks of a wave are much louder than its troughs, so a level that seems right during the draw-back can be startling when the next one breaks. The volume starts at 40%.

2. 2

   Use the sleep timer if you are going to sleep. It is off by default; set to 15, 30 or 60 minutes it fades out instead of stopping abruptly.

3. 3

   Leave the tab open. Hiding the tab stops the sound, because a page that keeps playing after you switch away is a page you will curse later.

What this page does not claim

It plays a recording of the sea. It does not treat insomnia, anxiety or anything else, and nothing here is medical advice. If you want a paced exercise rather than a background sound, the Breathing Exercise Timer is honest about being a pacer and nothing more.

Where the recording came from

The sound is "Zen Ocean Waves, Ocean Waves Ambience.mp3" by INNORECORDS, published on Freesound under Creative Commons 0, which places it in the public domain. CC0 asks for no credit at all — this page gives it anyway. The file is served exactly as it was downloaded, and its length, format and sample rate are recorded in the site's asset-license notes.