This study investigates the effects of laser off-nadir angle on sea surface echo dynamic range in airborne oceanic lidar. Using a dual-wavelength (486/532 nm) system with fixed off-nadir angles, varied aircraft rolls generated adjustable water-incident angles. Two-three order-of-magnitude sea surface signal variations at 0° – 35° off-nadir angles are revealed. A range of experimental results have shown that when the aircraft is at a lower altitude, saturation occurs at 0° – 10° but is avoided at 15° – 35°. Comparisons with simulations confirm that optimizing off-nadir angles reduces dynamic range occupancy and prevents saturation of sea surface signals, enhancing lidar performance in oceanic profiling.