A transmitting hydrophone which remotely senses both absolute pressure and changes in pressure has been developed using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) oscillator. This oscillator is formed by placing a SAW delay line or resonator in the feedback loop of an amplifier. The pressure applied to the hydrophone is converted to a flexural loading of the piezoelectric plate which alters the surface wave velocity on the plate, consequently shifting the oscillator frequency. This frequency modulated signal is easily transmitted to a remote location for signal recovery. The piezoelectric plate thickness and length can be chosen to optimize the sensitivity of the SAW hydrophone. The surface wave element of the oscillator is a planar structure, therefore, it is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Furthermore, the size and power requirements of the SAW hydrophone are small, typically less than 50 cm3and 300 mW. This paper presents performance data of two SAW hydrophones using SAW oscillators at 44 and 77 MHz in conjunction with a versatile signal demodulation system. Measurements of sensitivity and frequency response were made for both delay line and resonator hydrophones manufactured on lithium niobate andS‐Tquartz substrates, respectively, and compared with measurements obtained from conventional hydrophones in the identical set‐up.