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Reference.org
Surf zone
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<p>The surf zone or breaker zone is the nearshore part of a body of open water between the line at which the waves break and the shore. As <a href="/facts/Ocean_surface_wave/7IsEqwJp">ocean surface waves</a> approach a <a href="/facts/Shore/yRlfT1Q6">shore</a>, they interact with the bottom, <a href="/facts/Wave_shoaling/g6juBFTr">get taller and steeper</a>, and break, forming the <a href="/facts/Sea_foam/g29uBoLW">foamy</a> surface called <i>surf</i>. The region of <a href="/facts/Breaking_wave/AsXDJ52B">breaking waves</a> defines the surf zone. After breaking in the surf zone, the waves (now reduced in height) continue to move in, and they run up onto the sloping front of the <a href="/facts/Beach/P8dhamMd">beach</a>, forming an uprush of water called <a href="/facts/Swash/Mq8YYdvY">swash</a>. The water then runs back again as <a href="/facts/Swash/Mq8YYdvY">backwash</a>. The water in the surf zone is relatively shallow, depending on the height and period of the waves. </p>