In order to improve the transmission rate and energy efficiency of the sea signal and reduce the deployment and operation cost of the communication system, the technology and application status of intelligent reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) sea communication were studied. The basic principle and communication model of RIS are described, and three typical application scenarios are summarized. From the three core technologies of beamforming, channel estimation and performance analysis, the context and core issues of technology evolution are revealed, and the challenges of hardware level and overall design in practical application of RIS are explored. The results show that the research can provide a reference for the development of RIS-assisted maritime communication technology.