Available LANDSAT and SEASAT images of the North American east and west coasts were analysed for internal wave patterns during the summer months of 1978. These images are from the satellite sensors: (i) multispectral scanner on board the LANDSAT satellite and (ii) synthetic aperture radar on board the SEASAT satellite. The Gulf of California during these months provided an excellent opportunity to compare the detectability of ocean internal wave patterns in these two sensors since the internal waves were tidally generated every 12·45 hours and cloud contamination in the LANDSAT imagery was negligible. Internal wave patterns were frequently visible in SEASAT imagery but only occasionally visible in LANDSAT imagery, a fact which cannot be explained by cloud contamination. Furthermore multiple wave packets with 12·45 hours spacing were observed from SEASAT but not always from LANDSAT. One possible reason for the infrequent detection of internal wave patterns from LANDSAT is that a specialized Earth-Sun-satellite geometry is required to image these waves.