The Times Australia
Mirvac Harbourside
The Times World News

.

why do seashells sound like the ocean when you put them to your ear?

  • Written by Chris Brennan-Jones, Head of Ear Health, Telethon Kids Institute, Curtin University

Why do seashells make a sound like the ocean when you put them to your ear? – Remy, age 9, Wangaratta, Victoria

why do seashells sound like the ocean when you put them to your ear?

Thanks for the great question Remy!

My kids and I have collected a lot of seashells and we love listening to them to remind us of the sea.

But the seashells are not actually making any sounds themselves. So what’s going on?

Seashells ‘catch’ sounds

Each seashell is a unique shape. Hollow and curved ones can “catch” some of the sounds around you. That’s when sound enters the opening of the shell.

Once in the shell, these sounds bounce around. This makes the sounds get slightly louder (or amplified) before they leave the shell.

The sounds seashells “catch” tend to be[1] what scientists call lower-frequency sounds. Think of these as deeper, or more rumbling sounds.

The sound of the ocean is also a low-frequency sound[2]. That’s why it sounds similar to the sounds caught in a shell.

Read more: Curious Kids: how do shells get made?[3]

But why can I hear it?

The sound you hear[4] when you put a shell against your ear is actually parts of the background noise around you, just turned up a little by the shell.

So if you’re next to the ocean, the shell picks up the sounds of the ocean. If you’re nowhere near the ocean, the shell picks up other deep and rumbling sounds, such as the wind or the fridge.

There is nearly always some kind of background noise around us the shell can pick up, even when it is very quiet.

As the shell turns up the sound, this means you can hear it over the other background noise around you.

Here’s why you can hear the sound of the ocean.

It’s not just seashells

Sounds are turned up all the time in nature. It’s not just with seashells.

In fact, our own ears are shaped[5] to make important sounds around louder for us.

If you hold an empty cup to your ear, you might also hear a sound like the sea. But there is something special about holding a seashell in your hand, knowing it is from the beach. Sometimes the shell even smells like the beach.

Even though it is not actually the sound of the sea you are hearing, if you close your eyes and listen closely it can almost feel like you are back sitting by the water.

Read more: Curious Kids: why are there waves?[6]

References

  1. ^ tend to be (link.springer.com)
  2. ^ low-frequency sound (theconversation.com)
  3. ^ Curious Kids: how do shells get made? (theconversation.com)
  4. ^ sound you hear (letstalkscience.ca)
  5. ^ are shaped (www.hopkinsmedicine.org)
  6. ^ Curious Kids: why are there waves? (theconversation.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-do-seashells-sound-like-the-ocean-when-you-put-them-to-your-ear-188650

Mirvac Harbourside

Times Magazine

YepAI Joins Victoria's AI Trade Mission to Singapore for Big Data & AI World Asia 2025

YepAI, a Melbourne-based leader in enterprise artificial intelligence solutions, announced today...

Building a Strong Online Presence with Katoomba Web Design

Katoomba web design is more than just creating a website that looks good—it’s about building an onli...

September Sunset Polo

International Polo Tour To Bridge Historic Sport, Life-Changing Philanthropy, and Breath-Taking Beau...

5 Ways Microsoft Fabric Simplifies Your Data Analytics Workflow

In today's data-driven world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their data anal...

7 Questions to Ask Before You Sign IT Support Companies in Sydney

Choosing an IT partner can feel like buying an insurance policy you hope you never need. The right c...

Choosing the Right Legal Aid Lawyer in Sutherland Shire: Key Considerations

Legal aid services play an essential role in ensuring access to justice for all. For people in t...

The Times Features

Understanding Centrelink Investment Property Valuation: A Guide for Australian Property Owners

Introduction Owning an investment property in Australia can bring financial stability — but it al...

The climate crisis is fuelling extreme fires across the planet

We’ve all seen the alarming images. Smoke belching from the thick forests[1] of the Amazon. Sp...

Applications open for Future Cotton Leaders Program 2026

Applications have opened for the 2026 intake for the Australia Future Cotton Leaders Program (AFCL...

Optimising is just perfectionism in disguise. Here’s why that’s a problem

If you regularly scroll health and wellness content online, you’ve no doubt heard of optimisin...

Macquarie Bank Democratises Agentic AI, Scaling Customer Innovation with Gemini Enterprise

Macquarie’s Banking and Financial Services group (Macquarie Bank), in collaboration with Google ...

Do kids really need vitamin supplements?

Walk down the health aisle of any supermarket and you’ll see shelves lined with brightly packa...

Why is it so shameful to have missing or damaged teeth?

When your teeth and gums are in good condition, you might not even notice their impact on your...

Australian travellers at risk of ATM fee rip-offs according to new data from Wise

Wise, the global technology company building the smartest way to spend and manage money internat...

Does ‘fasted’ cardio help you lose weight? Here’s the science

Every few years, the concept of fasted exercise training pops up all over social media. Faste...