In this review article, the current status of research on pier scour under waves is presented. This includes a summary of different bridge failure events due to scour, scour mechanism, scour depth predictors under waves, influence of pier shape on scour depth formation, shape of scour hole around piers, and many others. Further, this article describes the scour process, development of scour depth predictors, and the complexity involved in the scour related calculations. Finally, the future scope of research is delineated. © 2019 by the authors.