Ocean Night

Gentle swells under a quiet moon. Never the same wave twice.

What this scene is

Ocean Night generates a nighttime sea surface in real time. Wave height, wave period, foam crest density, and the moon's intensity are all independent parameters. Shifting the Tilt slider moves you from open-water listening (swell-forward) to shoreline listening (surf-forward).

The audio layers — swell, surf, wind — phase-offset against each other so you never hear the same combination twice. There's no horizon-line wave that "repeats" every 23 seconds the way a recorded ocean loop does.

Why ocean sounds help sleep

Ocean sound shares the masking + predictability mechanisms of rain, plus two ocean-specific features:

  • Slow rhythm matches breathing. The wave period of a typical ocean recording sits in the 5–10 second range — close to a relaxed adult breathing rate. Some research on guided breathing for sleep onset finds entrainment to slow rhythmic stimuli reduces sleep latency.
  • Low-frequency-rich spectrum. Ocean recordings carry more bass than rain. For listeners with subwoofer-equipped Apple TV setups, the physical sensation of low-end is part of the calming effect.

Who Ocean Night works best for

  • People with home-theater Apple TV setups — the bass-rich audio benefits from real subwoofers.
  • Travel sleepers — ocean sound from a phone speaker still works in unfamiliar hotel rooms.
  • People who associate ocean with vacation — the conditioned-relaxation effect is unusually strong here.
  • Slow-breathing meditation practitioners — the wave-period parameter can be tuned to match your target breath rate.

What each slider does

Wave Height
Amplitude of swells. Higher = more visible motion.
Wave Speed
Period between wave peaks. Slow = open ocean. Fast = wind chop.
Crest Glow
Foam density on wave tops. Higher = more visible whitecaps.
Moon Glow
Brightness of the moon and its reflection.
Tilt
Camera angle. Low = horizon view (open water). High = shore view (surf prominent).
Sea Color
Water palette. Cool = navy/black. Warm = turquoise.
Wind Chop
Surface texture from wind. Higher = rougher surface.
Brightness
Overall display brightness multiplier.
Swell
Audio mix: the deep, sustained rolling swell.
Surf
Audio mix: water breaking on shore.
Wind
Audio mix: wind-over-water layer.

Ocean Night sine gallery

Each "sine" below is a saved configuration of the Ocean Night scene. Scan the QR with your phone, or tap the code — Sleep Sine opens and loads the exact scene the gallery describes.

  1. Open Ocean

    QR code for Open Ocean — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    1323B7-9FVGW1

    Mid-amplitude swells, moon overhead, gentle chop. The default Ocean experience.

    Best for: First-time Ocean listeners. Balanced visual and audio.

  2. Dead Calm

    QR code for Dead Calm — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    12CSS3-CF98C2

    Glass surface. Tiny ripples. The sea between weather fronts.

    Best for: Anxiety wind-down. Minimal visual motion, soft sound.

  3. Moonlit Tide

    QR code for Moonlit Tide — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    12XWEB-57CJM3

    Bright moon, prominent foam crests catching the light. Pacific overlook at midnight.

    Best for: Bright-screen tolerance. The moon glow is the visual centerpiece.

  4. Storm Approaching

    QR code for Storm Approaching — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    13JN6G-YYXNG3

    Higher waves, faster period, prominent wind. Pressure dropping but no rain yet.

    Best for: Dramatic atmosphere. The Ocean equivalent of Lightning Storm in Thunderstorm.

  5. Shore Lapping

    QR code for Shore Lapping — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    12NKRV-8YSRG7

    Tilted toward shore — high "Shore Prox" so surf dominates over open-water swells.

    Best for: Beach-vacation aesthetic. People who associate ocean with shore, not horizon.

  6. Deep Blue

    QR code for Deep Blue — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    135TQ5-S6VCR1

    Cool, dark water palette. Mid-ocean, no shore visible. Continuous swell.

    Best for: Cool-color preference. Sleeping with the heat on. Cold-bedroom-warm-bed people.

  7. Caribbean Gentle

    QR code for Caribbean Gentle — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    12SJW6-RZTEG2

    Warmer, brighter sea color; moderate moon glow. Tropical version of Open Ocean.

    Best for: Warm-water aesthetic. People who think of "ocean" as turquoise, not navy.

  8. Stormy Night

    QR code for Stormy Night — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    13PY4M-QDYSR0

    Heavy weather. High amplitude, fast period, wind chop dominant.

    Best for: People who like to fall asleep to dramatic conditions. Cinema-grade intensity.

  9. Soft Surf

    QR code for Soft Surf — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    12HA7K-0P8PC6

    Quiet, low-energy. Inverted volume across all three audio layers.

    Best for: Whisper-quiet preference. Volume-conscious shared bedrooms.

  10. Night Crossing

    QR code for Night Crossing — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    131A69-5PXF82

    Wind-prominent mix. The sound of being on deck in the middle of the night.

    Best for: Wind-as-white-noise listeners. ADHD-friendly continuous masking.

  11. Glassy Dawn

    QR code for Glassy Dawn — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    12H255-MPAAC7

    Pre-dawn calm. Cool palette, low moon, minimal motion.

    Best for: 4 AM fall-back-asleep. Lowest visual stimulation in the Ocean library.

  12. Hurricane Off-Shore

    QR code for Hurricane Off-Shore — scan with your iPhone camera to open in Sleep Sine
    13VF5E-KNYXW2

    Maxed everything. The water is angry. For people who genuinely sleep through storms.

    Best for: Outlier preference. A small but real audience who finds maximum intensity calming.

Other scenes

Sleep better tonight

Free on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Ocean Night included in the preview; a single one-time unlock opens every scene forever.

Download on the App Store