Which breaker type surges up the beach on a very steep slope?

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

Answer: (D)

When the shoreline is very steep, the wave energy has little room to top and curl, so the water tends to surge up the beach rather than spill forward or plunge. This behavior creates a surging breaker, a short, powerful run-up with a strong backwash and little distinct curling crest. By contrast, spilling breakers occur on gentler slopes where the wave front spills gradually; plunging breakers curl and crash as the lip drops on moderately steep shores; undertow is a shoreward current that can accompany waves but is not a breaker type. So on a very steep slope, the surge up the beach is the characteristic sign of a surging breaker.