The time it takes to calm the water depends upon its ferocity at the start of casting:

• Gently moving water is calmed immediately (but still the whole casting time must be carried out else the water will revert back again)
• Choppy water is calmed by the third round of casting
• Strong windy seas are calmed by the fifth round
• Great hurricane seas or whirlpools are calmed by the end of the whole casting time

The caster can either be 'in' the stormy water or on dry land when they cast their spell, but the level of the caster determines how much water is calmed. The calming starts nearest to, or centered around the caster and spreads outwards to form a square of calm water up to 1 square mile per level of the caster. The calming is even effective to a fathom below the surface per three levels of the caster. The caster can also cast this spell while below water in which case it acts as a cube but of half normal size, the caster must have someway of speaking to cast however, such as Water Breathing.

Upon the ending of the duration of the spell, the water is returned to the natural state it would be at that time. If the storm still rages then the water begins to return to its un-calmed state from the edges and spreads towards the middle at the distance effected divided by one-third the Caster's level in rounds (I.e. A level 1 cleric in a storm as the duration wears off the water would begin to return to normal at the edges and return to the middle in 1 ÷ (1÷3 round down) = 0 rounds) while a level 7 cleric would have 7 ÷ (7÷3 round down) = 2 rounds to be ready before the water returned to them in the center).

Note: Strong winds still push ships and other craft through the water but the water remains calm. This normally allows the ship to past swiftly through the area effected and back into the normal sea, once cast the spell remains in affect at that location, it does not follow the caster.