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Water represents the unconscious, as well as life, death, rebirth and renewal. Whether your dreams are about being in a swimming pool, underwater, or in the ocean, let's dive right into what the experts have to say.
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Last Modified 6 February 2025 First Added 17 June 2022
Dreaming about water can relate to your emotions of inner peace and tranquillity. Symbolising purity, revitalisation, or creativity, dreaming about water may be a good sign. However, it could also be a sign of fear or anxiety depending on the variation.
Context is critical in describing the meaning of dreams about water. It’s important that when analysing such dreams, you take into account the type of water formation you’re surrounded by— is it a swimming pool, a lake, the ocean, or even the bath?
In this article, we’ll delve into all of the different variations of these dreams and what they could mean for your life.
Dreams about water are symbolic of your emotions during your waking life. They’re said to be linked to the deepest recesses of your subconscious mind and your intuition. Water is also associated with fertility, creativity, emotional well-being, renewal, purity, and new endeavours. According to Freud, water in our dreams is closely linked to birth; if you experience these dreams, there’s a possibility that either you or someone close to you may be expecting. Psychology Today explains, “Either one plunges into water or climbs out of it, rescues someone from water or gets rescued from the water, indicating a mother-like relationship to that person.”
There are many different kinds of water dreams. From dreaming of being in the bath, shower, or swimming pool, seeing the ocean, rivers or streams to falling into the water and being underwater – the following meanings cover the most common variations:
When you dream about the mighty ocean, you’re likely to be full of deep and strong emotions, like the tides. Due to its constantly shifting character, the ocean acts as a mirror of your emotions. It may also represent a reservoir of profound feelings. When encountering such a dream, it is probable that you are grappling with emotional inundation.
To determine the meaning of this dream, it’s important to pay close attention to the state of the ocean in the dream. My Dream Symbolism explains that a calm ocean indicates the stability of a situation. It means things will go smoothly, and there will be no delays. So, this is a welcome dream to have if you’re about to go on a long journey.
It’s also a sign of emotional balance and is said to mean that you may have taken control over an important aspect of your life. On the other hand, if the ocean was stormy, with towering waves crashing on the shore, you may want to take this as a warning that a future event won’t go exactly as planned.
Great news if you find yourself going with the flow of the river in your dreams! It’s likely that this means life’s taking you in a positive direction. It’s also likely you’re at peace with any changes that may be occurring in your waking life if you dream of a tranquil and serene river or stream.
However, according to Psychic Library, this dream may be a sign that things are moving too quickly in your life if the river is tumultuous and fast-flowing. It could be a sign that perhaps you should slow down and regain control. If you’re having trouble getting across the river, this can indicate that there are obstructions or blockages in your life keeping you from attaining your goals.
A swimming pool represents your inner feelings and thoughts. Dreaming about lounging, splashing, diving, and floating in a pool signifies strong and powerful spiritual messages and that you want to relax. Dreaming about the invigorating depths of a pool also carries a symbolic significance, representing an introspective exploration of our own emotions. This dream reflects our ability to handle relationships. It signifies our confidence in embracing adjustments to our routines, bridging our subconscious aspirations and the tangible aspects of our waking life.
Someone who swims every day for exercise will have a different meaning for this dream than anyone terrified of water. A swimming pool can mean feeling confined, or it can mean bottling up fears and emotions. This dream may stem from a desire to relax or a need to dive right in and “take the plunge”, no matter the initial shock, explains The List.
The feeling of being submerged underwater in your dream could suggest that you are grappling with intense emotions and trying to escape from overwhelming situations in your waking life. It may mean that you are yearning for a simpler, carefree existence when responsibilities and the complexities of your thoughts unburden you. If you find yourself in this situation, identify the specific emotion mind-boggling you and the source behind it.
Dreams of being underwater can also symbolise returning to the womb, a time when one had no responsibilities and was sheltered and protected.
Water is a powerful symbol of emotion, and its condition in your dream often reflects your internal state. The clarity, movement, and behaviour of the water all play a role in interpreting the message behind the dream.
By paying attention to the condition of the water in your dream, you can gain a deeper understanding of your emotions and the challenges or resolutions they may point to in your waking life.
Because water is constantly shifting and changing, it’s a good symbolic representation of life. As a consequence, the real-life circumstances that surround your dream of water have much to do with its interpretation.
In general, water dreams relate to your emotional stability, so if the water is in a calm state, it’s likely you are experiencing a tranquil period in your life and vice versa if it’s rough. To understand what your dream about water could signify, you’ll need to think long and hard about the dream and what it means to you personally. For example, how did you feel during the dream? Was it a positive or negative dream?
If negative, confronting these thoughts properly may improve your life. If the dream represents anxiousness or overwhelming feelings, it could be a good idea to break down the exact causes of these stresses, as this may lead you to find solutions.
After paddling up and down your local swimming pool for an hour, you decide this lap will be the last. But on reaching the middle of the pool, an unnerving thing happens. Although you keep on swimming, somehow, you don’t seem to be making the slightest bit of progress towards the side.
No matter just how fast you paddle and the amount of effort you make, you remain stationary in the middle of the pool while other swimmers pass you by.
Then you feel a swell and a great roar as a huge wave picks you up and throws you forward. Suddenly, you’re no longer in the familiar surroundings of the pool and appear to be in the middle of the ocean. You almost jump out of your skin when a school of fish tickles your toes, swimming right under your legs.
What on earth is going on? This has to be a dream, right?
The life-giving qualities of water and its importance to our survival mean water is featured heavily across popular culture, from books to stage plays and films to music.
Who can forget the tagline just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water from Jaws, Spielberg’s masterpiece of tension building and suspense? The soundtrack alone was the stuff of nightmares. Its oh-so-creepy repetitive violin stabs of ‘dur-dur’, ‘dur-dur’ have become the go-to sound effect for expressing imminent danger. Jaws has become one of the most popular and critically acclaimed films ever made and has been endlessly parodied ever since its release in 1975.
On the opposite side of the success scale is the Kevin Costner vehicle Waterworld. Filmed at sea on a manmade island, it was the most expensive film ever made at the time and holds the unenviable record as one of the biggest cinematic flops of all time.
Aside from film and books, references to water are used in the English language to convey a huge range of ideas in some of our most popular idioms:
Water is a powerful and deeply symbolic element in dreams, often representing emotions, transformation, and the unconscious mind. How water appears—whether calm or turbulent, deep or shallow—can offer valuable insight into our inner thoughts and emotional state. By paying attention to the context and personal associations within your dream, you can uncover messages that may help guide your waking life. Whether your dream suggests a need for emotional clarity, a call to embrace change, or a reflection of inner turmoil, understanding these water-related visions can offer profound self-awareness and growth.
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