Slope=0.02, A=60

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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 60 Degrees

  Hs
(feet)

18                 15-20 15-20 16-21 16-21 17-22 17-22 18-24 18-24 19-25
17                 14-19 14-19 15-20 16-20 16-22 17-22 18-23 18-23 19-24
16                 14-18 14-18 15-19 15-20 16-21 16-21 17-22 17-22 18-23
15                 13-17 13-17 14-18 14-19 15-20 15-20 16-21 16-21 17-22
14             11-15 11-15 12-16 12-16 13-17 13-17 14-18 14-18 15-20 15-20 16-21
13             11-14 11-14 12-15 12-15 13-16 13-16 14-17 14-17 15-19 15-19 16-20
12             10-13 10-13 11-14 11-14 12-16 12-16 13-17 13-17 14-18 14-18 15-19
11             10-12 10-12 11-13 11-13 11-14 11-14 12-15 12-15 13-17 13-17 14-18
10             9-11 9-11 10-12 10-12 10-13 10-13 11-14 11-14 12-16 12-16 13-16
9             8-10 8-10 9-11 9-11 9-12 9-12 10-13 10-13 11-15 11-15 12-15
8         7-9 7-9 7-10 7-10 8-10 8-10 9-11 9-11 10-13 10-13 10-13 11-14 11-14
7         6-8 6-8 7-9 7-9 8-10 8-10 8-10 9-11 9-12 9-12 9-12 10-13 10-13
6         5-7 5-7 6-8 6-8 7-9 7-9 7-9 8-10 8-10 8-10 8-10 9-11 9-11
5         4-6 4-6 5-7 5-7 6-8 6-8 6-8 7-9 7-9        
4     3-4 3-4 4-5 4-5 4-6 4-6 5-7 5-7 5-7 6-8 6-8        
3     3-4 3-4 3-4 4-5 4-5 4-5 4-5                
2 2-2 2-2 2-3 2-3 2-3 3-3 3-3                    
1 1-1 1-1 1-1                            
  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 60 degrees.

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

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