Breaking Wave Height

Breaking wave height is the height of ocean waves at the moment they break at the shoreline — the rideable size a surfer actually sees when paddling out. It is different from the offshore swell height measured by NOAA buoys, which read wave energy in deep water far from shore. As swells move into shallower water they shoal, refract, and steepen before breaking, so the final breaking height depends on the seafloor depth, beach slope, and the angle at which the swell approaches the coast. Swell Intel calculates breaking wave height for every spot by combining NOAA GFS offshore wave data with each spot's unique coastal bathymetry, transect bearing, and beach slope so you get the real wave size — not an abstract open-ocean number.