Destructive waves have three main features:

• They are high in proportion to their length
• The backwash is much stronger than the swash so that rocks, pebbles and sand are carried back to the sea
• They are frequent waves, breaking at an average rate of between eleven and fifteen per minute

Destructive waves erode the coastline and help to form features such as wave cut platforms, headlands, bays, arches, stacks, caves and stumps.