Words to Know

• Wave - A periodic disturbance in a solid, liquid or a gas as energy is transferred through the medium.
• Crest - The top of a wave.
• Trough - The bottom of a wave.
• Swell - The organized rise and fall of the ocean surface, generated by wind from a storm.
• Period - The time it takes two wave crests to pass the same point.
• Breakers - The foamy mass of water created when the top of the wave topples over the bottom.
• Point Break - A semi-permanent or permanent barrier that causes a wave to break, in a specific direction, forming a surfable wave. Examples include the coastline, reefs, sandbars and rocks.