Materials with special wettability have drawn considerable attention especially in the practical application for the separation and recovery of the oily wastewater, whereas there still remain challenges of the high-cost materials, significant time, and complicated production equipment. Here, a simple method to fabricate the underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic brass mesh via the nanosecond laser ablation is reported for the first time, which provided the micro-/nanoscale hierarchical structures. This mesh is superhydrophilic and superoleophilic in air but superoleophobic under water and superhydrophobic under oil. On the basis of the special wettability of the as-fabricated mesh, we demonstrate a proof of the light or heavy oil/water separation, and the excellent separation efficiencies (>96%) and the superior water/oil breakthrough pressure coupled with the high water/oil flux are achieved. Moreover, the nanosecond laser technique is simple and economical, and it is advisable for the large-area and mass fabrication of the underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic mesh in the large-scale oil/water separation.