City of Imperial Beach - Rip Tide City of Imperial Beach Public Safety Services . . . The waves from different storm in the ocean combine to make surf on a beach.
Waves come in groups called sets.
During the winter, storms are usually in the North Pacific, and during the summer many storms are near the equator or Southern hemisphere. Waves hit the beach at angles , as a result this energy creates a current called the long shore current . The long shore current flows along the coastline. During the summer the long shore current usually flows north, and in the winter moves south. After a set of waves break , a lot of water and energy is pushed towards the shoreline.