Which breaker type is described as having a gentle slope with the wave spilling down the front?

• A. Undertow
• B. Plunging breaker
• C. Surging breaker
• D. Spilling breaker

Answer: (D)

Spilling breakers form when the beach has a gentle slope. As the wave comes in, it loses height gradually and the crest spills down the front of the wave instead of curling over. That spilling action dissipates energy slowly and creates a broad area of whitewater sliding down the face, which feels more gradual and forgiving. This contrasts with a plunging breaker, where the crest curls and often forms a hollow tube on steeper shores, and with a surging breaker, which mainly pushes up the beach with little visible breaking. Undertow isn’t a breaker type at all in this context; it’s the backflow current near the shore. So the description—gentle slope and the wave spilling down the front—points to a spilling breaker.