Slope=0.02, A=15

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Surf Height Range in Feet as a Function of Swell Height (Hs) and Swell Period (Ts)
Adjacent to a Coast for a Beach Slope of 0.02 and an Angle of Incidence (A) of 15 Degrees

  Hs
(feet)

18                 21-27 21-28 22-29 23-30 24-31 24-32 25-33 26-34 27-35
17                 20-26 20-26 21-27 22-28 23-30 23-31 24-32 25-33 26-34
16                 19-25 19-25 20-26 21-27 22-29 23-30 24-31 24-32 24-32
15                 18-24 18-24 19-25 20-26 21-27 22-28 23-30 23-30 23-31
14             16-21 16-21 17-22 17-22 18-24 18-24 20-25 20-25 21-28 21-28 22-29
13             15-20 15-20 16-21 16-21 18-23 18-23 19-24 19-24 20-26 20-26 21-28
12             14-18 14-18 15-20 15-20 17-22 17-22 18-23 18-23 19-25 19-25 20-26
11             13-17 13-17 14-18 15-19 16-20 16-20 17-21 17-21 18-23 18-23 19-25
10             12-16 12-16 13-17 13-17 14-19 14-19 15-20 16-21 17-22 17-22 17-23
9             11-15 11-15 12-16 13-17 13-17 14-18 14-18 15-20 15-20 16-21 16-21
8         9-12 9-12 10-13 11-14 11-15 12-16 12-16 13-17 13-17 14-18 14-18 15-19 15-19
7         8-11 8-11 9-12 9-12 10-13 11-14 11-14 12-15 12-15 12-16 12-16 13-17 13-17
6         7-10 7-10 8-11 8-11 9-12 9-12 10-13 10-13 10-14 10-14 11-15 11-15 12-16
5         7-8 7-8 8-10 8-10 8-11 9-11 9-12 9-12 10-13        
4     5-6 5-6 6-7 6-7 6-8 7-9 7-9 7-10 7-10 8-11 8-11        
3     4-5 4-5 4-6 5-6 5-6 6-7 6-7                
2 2-3 2-3 3-4 3-4 3-4 4-5 4-5                    
1 1-2 1-2 2-2                            
  4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Ts (seconds)


(1) Applies to beaches with moderate to gentle slope offshore (i.e., 1:50 = 0.02 slope or less; characteristic of most beaches around the Continental United States).

(2) Assumes a long straight coast with constant beach slope (i.e., neglects focusing/defocusing effects due to headlands, bays, and irregularities in water depth).

(3) Angle of incidence (i.e., angle between deep-water swell direction and line perpendicular to coastline) equal to 15 degrees.

(4) Occasional set waves expected to be about 25% larger than the upper range depicted in the table.

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