Aiming at the defect in the existing methods for wave overtopping measurement,a new technique named as sounding method was presented based on water depth variation measured by hydraulic pressure sensors in tank.A comprehensive description was provided on the basic principle of sounding method as well as the operation steps and data processing techniques to obtain the mean wave overtopping discharge,single wave overtopping volume and wave overtopping rate from the fluctuated data of hydraulic pressure sensors,meanwhile the method’s accuracy was evaluated through tests.The result shows that sounding method can be reliably applied in all kinds of tests with the main purpose of overtopping measurement.For mean wave overtopping discharge,a similar precision of the traditional methods can be reached,while the relative error of single wave overtopping volume generally can be controlled within 5%.Compared to the existing ones,sounding method has the advantages of more sensitive recognition,wider range of application,simpler operation,lower maintenance cost and more easily shard application.