The ocean in a dream tends to represent emotion on a scale bigger than you can fully hold -- its vastness makes it a fitting image for feelings that stretch past ordinary awareness. Calm water can reflect emotional ease, while a churning sea often names a feeling that's grown larger than you expected it to.
Men may be said almost to be compelled by the Stars, even in voluntary actions, by means of their corrupt affections and ignorance. - Cardan Girolamo (1501-1576)