This is called a breaking wave also known as a breaker.
swells
The wave crest is the highest point of a wave, where the wave reaches its maximum height before breaking.
The crest wave is located at the highest point of a wave, where the upward motion of the wave reaches its peak before breaking or dissipating.
The two features formed by wave deposition are islands and beaches.
As a wave approaches the shore, its height increases and its speed decreases. This causes the wave's energy to be concentrated, leading to the wave breaking as it reaches shallow water near the shore. The breaking of the wave causes it to release its energy, creating the crashing sound associated with waves hitting the shore.
The person nearest to the breaking wave (the whitewash) has priortiy. Also if some one gets a wave farther out than you, it is their wave.
A wave breaking or crashing onto the shore.
The length of time between breaking waves is called the wave period. It is typically measured in seconds and is an important characteristic in understanding wave behavior and forecasting ocean conditions.
Generally, a wave will start breaking when the water depth is about 1.3 times the wave height. So, in water that is 7.8 meters deep, a wave would likely start breaking around 6 meters in height.
The characteristic feature of a wave indicated by the letter C is the wavelength. Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive points that are in phase (e.g., peak to peak or trough to trough) on a wave.
Usally used to describe a nicely breaking wave, with it peeling down the line instead of dumping.