Wave ramp

An off-shore wave ramp for inducing cresting of waves before they interact with the natural sea floor to prevent damage and erosion along a shoreline, the wave ramp comprising:

• (a) a substantially rectangular array of a selected number of spaced-apart, unconnected, rigid, non-buoyant, stationary plate-shaped elements, the array having a seaward side and a shoreward side, each such plate-shaped element having an upper surface, the upper surface of each such plate-shaped element substantially planar with the surface of the sea, each of such plate-shaped elements supported above the natural sea floor by support means firmly affixed to the sea floor, the array of elements being arranged according to a predetermined regular pattern such that the area of the array of elements covers between about 50 and 80 percent of the area of the sea floor under the array of elements, the array of elements arranged such that their upper surfaces are displaced horizontally and vertically shoreward forming a false sea floor inclined between a point at a selected distance above the sea floor at the seaward side to a selected point above the mean storm level at the shoreward side, the shoreward inclination of the wave ramp forming a selected angle relative to the sea floor;
• and
• (b) the support means consisting of a selected number of piles sufficient to bear the weight of the wave ramp under various conditions of wave height and period.