Real-time models of ocean dynamics are very useful for the design, development, testing and validation of marine technology in simulation. Many models of waves and currents are proposed in the literature, ranging from very simple to very complex models. In order to accommodate these models for real-time simulation of ocean dynamics, balance needs to be achieved between complexity of the model and constraints imposed by the requirement for synchronization with real-time. This paper presents models of waves and currents that are simple enough to fulfil real-time requirements, while general enough to describe most phenomena of interest. Mathematical models of forces and moments, exerted by these disturbances, are used to examine the behaviour of marine platforms/vessels in near real-world scenarios. © 2007 IEEE.