Solitary Waves on a Cretan Beach

In this paper, we describe experiments and computer simulations of the run-up and return of a solitary wave traveling over shallowing water and then onto a dry beach backed by a vertical wall. This topography is similar to that of beaches on the north coast of Crete, where narrow coastal plains are backed by steeply rising mountains. The experiments show that the solitary wave collapses onto the dry beach without curling over. It then flows to the vertical wall where it rises up, splashes, curls over, and finally returns as a turbulent bore. On reaching the original water's edge, the bore produces a zig-zag surface perturbation. The simulations reproduce the experiments accurately.