Diorama water

try using SERAN WRAP (mainly used in microwave cooking/heating). first paint your base with the ocean colors you prefer (blue, green..etc..) then mix white glue (elmer's) with 1:1 ratio to water...then apply the mixture to your base with a brush after apllying it to the water scene it's time to lay your seran wrap on top of it, crumpling the sheet as you go along making the illusion of waves. A very CHEAP but effective trick in making water dioramas.
hopoe this helped..happy modelling!

I've seen people use clear casting resin, but that can get pretty expensive and pretty messy. On the upside, you can tint it so it really does look like water. I think there may have been an article in FSM on this a while ago.

Another idea (and I think the easiest) is to use clear silicone caulk. You can paint the inside of the base blue and it should make it look pretty watery. I've also heard that it can be tinted, but I've never tried it. Line the base with foil, squeeze in a bunch and spread it around so it's about 1/2 an inch thick. Then you can take a comb or something and kinda sculpt waves. When it dries, you can remove it from the base and take off the foil. Then you'll have a little rubber mat that you can touch up as needed.

Thanks, I went to the modelwarships.com site and got a reply that hammered shower glass, painted works about the same.

Never seen a water based offered commercially but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
Some great water effects can be achieved 2 different ways. I have seen plastic sheet that is used for showers put to good use by one of our club members. You can sometimes pick up scraps at Plastic companies so check the Yellow Pages.
Another is to paint a wooden base in sea colors and then cover it with Artists Gloss Medium. This is a thick gel substance that dries clear and glossy (hence the name). It can be picked up at craft stores like Micheals. You just paint in on and add the waves, a little white on the whitecaps and you're done.
For more good hints, try these ship building websites.
http://smmlonline.com/
http://www.modelwarships.com/index1.html