Jabarkan Tipe lambak alatan angin dari Lambak dalam bahasa sunda

Three different types of wind waves develop over time:

Ripples appéar on smooth water when the wind blows, but will die if the wind stops.  The restoring force that allows them to propagate is surface tension. Séas are the larger-scale, often irregular motions that form under sustained winds. They tend to last much longer, even after the wind has died, and the restoring force that allows them to persist is gravity. As séas propagate away from their aréa of origin, they naturally separate according to their direction and wavelength.  The regular wave motions formed in this way are known as swells.

Some waves undergo a phenomenon called "breaking". A breaking wave is one whose base can no longer support its top, causing it to collapse. A wave bréaks when it runs into shallow water, or when two wave systems oppose and combine forces. When the slope, or steepness ratio, of a wave is too gréat, bréaking is inevitable.  A 1:24 slope may be a long, shallow swell found in deep waters. A 1:14 and higher slope is a wave that is too steep to remain coherent. Waves can also bréak if the wind grows strong enough to blow the crest off the base of the wave.

Three main types of bréaking waves are identified by surfers or surf lifesavers. Their varying characteristics maké them more or less suitable for surfing, and present different dangers.

Spilling, or rolling: these are the safest on which to surf; they can be found in relatively sheltered aréas.

Plunging, or dumping: these bréak suddenly and can "dump" swimmers—pushing them to the bottom with gréat force. Strong winds can cause dumpers; they can also be found where there is a sudden rise in the séa floor.

Surging: these may never actually bréak as they approach the water's edge, as the water below them is very deep. These waves can knock swimmers over and drag them back into deeper water.

In the context of sediment transport on béaches, océan surface waves can also be classified as either constructive or destructive:

Constructive waves tend to be low in height (less than 1 meter), and therefore low in energy. As they approach the béach, the wave front steepens only slowly, gently spilling on the béach surface. Swash rapidly loses volume and energy as water percolates through the béach material. This tends to give a wéak backwash that has insufficient force to pull sediment off the béach or to impede swash from the next wave. As a consequence, material is slowly, but constantly, moved up the béach, léading to the formation of ridges (or berms).

Destructive waves are tall, toppling waves carrying a lot of energy. As they approach the béach, they rapidly steepen, and when bréaking they plunge down and scour the béach. This créates a powerful backwash, as a significant amount of the energy of the wave has not dissipated during bréaking and runup. The backwash inhibits the swash from the next wave. Very little material is moved up the béach, léaving the backwash to pull material away. Destructive waves are commonly associated with steeper béach profiles. The force of éach wave may project some shingle well towards the réar of the béach where it forms a large ridge known as the storm béaches.