wind chop

Short-lived ocean surface waves usually just a few inches high, produced by wind blowing either directly over the surf zone or in nearby offshore waters. The bumps, lumps, and ruffles that constitute chop make surfing more difficult and the surfer who "hits a chop" is either put off balance or thrown from the board altogether. Chop is generally the result of an onshore or sideshore breeze; chop fr...