The sound of the ocean can change based on the depth of the water, and these changes are influenced by various factors.
Sunlight zone:
This is the top layer, also called the epipelagic zone, where sunlight reaches. It goes down to 200 meters. It’s likely to hear more pronounced crashing and breaking of waves.The sounds may be sharper, and you may also hear the bubbling and hissing as waves interact with rocks and the seafloor.
Twilight zone:
Below the sunlight zone is the mesopelagic zone (from 200 meters to 1,000 meters). It’s called the twilight zone because there’s only a little bit of sunlight that reaches here.In mid-depth waters, the waves may become more regular and rhythmic.
The sound of waves breaking may still be present, but it could be more consistent and less turbulent compared to shallower areas.
Midnight zone:
Deeper down is the bathypelagic zone, from 1,000 meters to 4,000 meters. It’s super dark here, so it’s called the midnight zone. The only light comes from creatures that glow in the dark. The temperature is pretty much the same all the time, and the pressure is very high.
In deeper ocean waters, the sound of waves breaking becomes less pronounced. Instead, you might hear a more continuous, low-frequency background noise.
The ambient noise in deep waters is often dominated by natural sounds such as the movement of water currents, the creaking of ship hulls, and marine life.
Abyssal zone:
The abyssal zone is from 4,000 meters to 6,000 meters. It’s the deepest part of the ocean, where it’s freezing cold and pitch black. Not many creatures can survive in this zone. In the deepest parts of the ocean, like oceanic trenches, the ambient sounds are typically very low-frequency.
Whales are travelling all the way till Abyssal zone.
References:
1. https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/how-the-ocean-works/ocean-zones/
2. Exploring the ocean through soundscape – Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, Bruce Martin, Peter L. Tyack
3. https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/nwep6c.htm
