A series of experiments is conducted to study shallow-water flow in the wake of a sine shaped island. Digital particle imaging velocimetry (DPIV) is used to measure velocities in the turbulent wake behind a sine shaped island for different characteristic coefficients S. Flow streamlines are given for the wake flows. The measured results show that the characteristic coefficient S is uniquely related to the flow pattern around a sine shaped island in a shallow water layer. An S value of approximately 0.20 is the critical value for transition from a vortex street to unsteady flow and a value of approximately 0.40 is the critical value for transition from unsteady flow to steady flow.