BREAKER ZONE 



133 



G40 feet of its run, so that it would steepen nearly twice as abruptly, 

 although its height might be the same when it broke in the one case as 

 in the other. Breakers which steepen abruptly may be more difficult 

 to cope with than ones that do so more gradually, so that the resultant 

 surf is classed as "worse." 



It will be convenient to discuss further effects of tide in the next 

 section. 



DISTANCE OF THE FIRST LINE OF BREAKERS OUT FROM THE 

 SHORE; EFFECTS OF BARS; NUMBER OF LINES OF BREAKERS 



It is not possible to lay down any one general rule for the distance 

 out from the shore to the first line of breakers, for while this depends 



Figure 33. — A breaker in the process of development against the base of Minot's 

 Light, Massachusetts, near high water on a stormy day. (Photograph, cour- 

 tesy of Press Association, Inc.) 



chiefly on the heights and lengths of the waves out in deep water and 

 on the angle of slope of the bottom, other factors such as the evenness 

 of the bottom, the direction of the wind, and currents (if any) all en- 

 ter into the picture. The only general statement that can be made 

 is that the distance of the breakers is that at which the water becomes 

 shallow enough to cause the existing waves to break. At the one ex- 

 treme there may be no surf at all (p. 102.) , or the waves may not break 

 until they actually reach the foot of some lighthouse standing on a 

 submerged ledge (fig. 33), or against cliffs and breakwaters (fig. 28). 

 And the first heavy fall of broken water on a steep beach (fig. 34) or 

 rocky shore line may be (and often is) right at the tide line. At the 



