AbstractWe derive an equation relating the pressure at the flat bed and the profile of an irrotational steady water wave, valid for all classical solutions of the governing equations for water waves. This permits the recovery of the surface wave from pressure measurements at the bed. Although we focus on periodic waves, the extension to solitary waves is straightforward. We illustrate the usefulness of the equation beyond the realm of linear theory by investigating the regime of shallow-water waves of small amplitude and by presenting a numerical example.