Abstract: To address the corrosion failure of steel wire armor in submarine cables induced by high salinity, microorganisms, and mechanical stress in shallow sea environments, and to overcome the shortcomings of traditional hot-dip zinc coating and ordinary organic coating process, such as susceptibility to rust, inadequate shielding protection, and short service life, a scheme involving the replacement of the traditional hot-dip zinc coating with a Zn-Al-Mg alloy coating, the conventional paint with a graphene-composite coating, and the optimization of the process parameters of hot-dipping and spraying was proposed. Effectiveness of the optimized process was verified through multiple sets of comparative experiments, combined with electrochemical testing, salt spray testing, and microscopic morphology analysis. Results showed that the optimized armor layer exhibited a 38.5% reduction in corrosion rate in a simulated shallow sea environment, the salt spray corrosion resistance was extended to over 1 200 h, a 56% increase in adhesion between the coating and the substrate, and a 37.5% improvement in adhesion between the paint and the coating. It was demonstrated that the dual protection system consisting of the Zn-Al-Mg alloy coating and graphene-composite coating, together with precisely controlled hot-dipping and spraying processes, could significantly enhance corrosion resistance of steel wire armor layer for shallow sea submarine cables and meet the anti-corrosion requirements for long-term service.