The distribution of turbulence in the wave boundary layer is investigated. Turbulent kinetic energy, eddy viscosity, and other quantities predicted by use of standard one-equation and two-equation turbulence models are compared with experimental data. It is found that the two-equation model gives better results for the eddy viscosity, which is important in connection with the modelling of suspended sediment. The improvements, however, may not be sufficient to justify the extra work involved in a practical application.