counter for waves (of a repeated occurrence)
Used to count distinct waves or surges of something that comes in repeated, often sequential, occurrences, such as sound waves, radio waves, or figurative waves of emotion or activity.
The earthquake brought several waves of strong shaking.
We ran the advertisements in three waves to coincide with the new product launch.
派 (faction, group) and 波 (wave) look similar because both contain the 氵 water radical, but their meanings are completely unrelated.
The counter 波 (は) is derived from the noun 波 (なみ, 'wave'), using the on'yomi reading は. It is used to count waves of a repeated occurrence.