<p>This work provides a detailed analysis of the propagation of Whittaker–Gaussian beams (WGBs) in maritime turbulence. The beam evolution is investigated using the Huygens–Fresnel integral combined with the Rytov approximation. An explicit analytical expression for the average on-axis intensity is derived, offering key insights into the beam's behavior in this environment. Numerical simulations comprehensively analyze the effects of the initial beam parameters and turbulent conditions on the on-axis intensity. The results demonstrate that the central dark region vanishes as the intensity reaches a critical value at a specific propagation distance, after which the hollow structure gradually reforms. This behavior indicates a significant capacity of the WGBs profile to resist fluctuations in weak maritime turbulence, particularly for lower turbulence strength, wider beam waists, higher wavelengths and larger inner scales. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing beam design in maritime applications such as environmental monitoring and optical wireless communication.</p>