There are two points to remember about the water waves and also waves in general. Waves are disturbances . This means that an ocean wave isn't a bulk of water that moves from one place to another such as a bulk of water that moves in a river. Ocean waves are really disturbances traveling across the surface of the water. This means that the water particles that constitute a wave don't actually move any horizontal distance away from their respective spots, but they are actually disturbed in an up and down motion.
Waves carry energy .
Waves aren't just big walls of water, they are actually sources that carry energy from one place to another place. Energy that you can manipulate to allow you to surf. Types of waves , and this doesn't mean big and little waves. Lets first explain what a transverse wave is since water waves fall under this category. As an example picture a guitar string vibrating, or better yet picture a single water wave which moves according to the mathematical sine function.