This paper describes Oceanpal, an inexpensive, all-weather, passive instrument concept for remote sensing of the ocean and other water surfaces. Oceanpal is based on the use of reflected signals emitted from GNSS, and as such it is well grounded on the growing, long term GNSS infrastructure. As seen from the instrument, several GNSS emitters are simultaneously in view at any given time, providing separated multiple scattering points with different geometries. Reflected signals are affected by surface "roughness" and motion (i.e. sea state, orbital motion, and currents), mean surface height and dielectric properties (i.e. salinity and pollution). Oceanpal is envisaged to act as an accurate, "dry" tide gauge/surface monitoring system as a part of a future distributed ocean remote sensing network concept.