An experimental investigation to determine the acoustic transmission from a source in air to a hydrophone in a wind roughened ocean at shallow depression angles is described and the results presented. This experiment was conducted at the NUC Oceanographic Tower in 18‐m‐deep water. Data were obtained for acoustic frequencies of 500–4000 Hz and wind speeds of 3–15 knots. Short pulses of sound were used in order to distinguish the direct path from the bounce paths. The mean energy at the hydrophone was obtained by averaging the direct path energy over many independent pulses. The data show that more energy reaches the hydrophone in the rough ocean than predicted by the smooth surface theory, with the excess increasing for the shallower depression angles. The data also show that the transmission increases with increasing source frequency and ocean roughness and is independent of source altitude for the conditions considered. The experimental results are compared with a geometric rough surface model and show good agreement.Subject Classification: [43]30.20, [43]30.25; [43]20.20.