How it works
The parts of a beach run in a line from the land to the sea. This profile is drawn at low tide, with a dashed line for the high tide level.
Read the full guide
Start from the two tide lines
The backshore is everything above the high tide line, dry except in storms. The foreshore lies between the high and low tide lines, and the nearshore runs from the low tide line out to sea.
Label the parts of the beach face
The beach face is another name for the foreshore: the slope the swash runs up. Above it the berm ends at the berm crest. Below it the sand dips into a trough and rises again as a longshore bar.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a beach?
From land to sea: the dune, the berm and its crest, the beach face, then under water the longshore trough and the longshore bar. The backshore, foreshore and nearshore are the three zones those parts sit in.
What is a berm on a beach?
The nearly flat beach above the high tide line, built of sand that waves have laid down. It is usually dry, and it ends seaward at the berm crest.
What is the difference between the backshore and the foreshore?
The backshore is above the high tide line and is covered only in unusually high waves, such as in storms. The foreshore is between the high and low tide lines, so it is covered and uncovered with each tide.
Why do waves break before they reach the beach?
Often because of a longshore bar. The water over the bar is shallower, and that makes waves start to break well before the beach.