The numerical computation of freely propagating time-dependent irrotational water waves

Methods for the numerical computation of freely propagating irrotational water waves are reviewed. The emphasis is on the methods, not on the results. The primary focus is on methods for time-dependent fully nonlinear water waves, but aspects of steady waves are also discussed. For time-dependent waves, a range of topics from two-dimensional time-periodic waves over a flat bottom to unsteady three-dimensional waves over an arbitrary topography, including the statistical description of water waves, are discussed.