The Wave Organ

San Francisco

Monument

Located at the end of a spit of land extending from the Golden Gate Yacht Club and overlooking Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, these wave-gurgling pipes use undulating, echoing water to produce eerie, oceanic noises. Developed by Peter Richards and installed by sculptor and master stone mason George Gonzales as part of the Exploratorium’s artist-in-residence program in 1986, the acoustic structure is made up of 25 organ pipes and concrete ledges that interact with the waves and tides. The noises are controlled entirely by the Bay’s tides and are the loudest at high tide.