The influence of wind on nearshore breaking waves was investigated in a laboratory wave tank. Breaker location, geometry, and type depended upon the wind acting on the wave as it broke. Onshore winds tended to cause waves to break earlier, in deeper water, and to spill: offshore winds tended to cause waves to break later, in shallower water, and to plunge. A change in wind direction from offshore to onshore increased the surf zone width by up to 100%. Wind's effect was greatest for waves which were near the transition between breaker types in the absence of wind. For onshore winds, it was observed that microscale breaking can initiate spilling breaking by providing a perturbation on the crest of the underlying wave as it shoals.
LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS ON THE INFLUENCE OF WIND ON NEARSHORE WAVE BREAKING