Waves That Go the Wrong Direction: Here's Why It Happens on Oregon's Coast (Video)

Published 10/09/25 at 6:25 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – Take a look at this shot of the tideline at Lincoln City. Notice anything wrong with it?

Yes, it's facing the opposite direction. This wave is literally going the wrong way. It's heading outward towards the sea, not incoming.

Whaaaaat the……??

Indeed this happens on the Oregon coast – and the Washington coast. It's a curious twist of beach physics and geology. This particular one happened in Lincoln City over 10 years ago. Oregon Coast Beach Connection didn't get actual video of it – but rather timelapse photos.

What happens is really rather simple, but a few steps in the process that make it seem complex. It happens only during summer's high sand levels.

It's a curious, even puzzling find.

There are even odd sights like seeing the two tidelines "face off."

What happens here is series of circumstances that come together at the right time. All of it comes down to summer’s high sand levels: gentle wave action deposits sand along the shoreline, forming massive sand bars with wide, low-lying basins between them. These basins fill with seawater, and when the incoming tide spills over the sand bar, the trapped water inside can surge and create its own wave action - sometimes even pushing back toward the ocean.

It’s like watching the tide reverse itself. .

There's not much room for this to happen, however, so the effect is fleeting.

How to see this?

Look for sand bars just beyond the regular tideline. If you see giant pools of water a ways up, there's a chance it can happen. The pooled area behind them must be deep enough to sustain its own miniature wave system. When everything aligns just right, the result is a second tideline one up on the beach as well as the usual wave tideline.

Most of the time, the water in these pools simply sloshes around randomly. But on rare occasions, it overfills and sends a distinct wave back toward the sea. Spotting one is a matter of luck, timing, and location. The phenomenon is most likely to occur between July and September, when sand levels are at their peak.

Two sets of waves go darting out to sea at Roads End

The other intriguing aspect of this is that the secondary tideline is much warmer. The water has had a chance to be heated up by the ambient temp of the sand. It can feel 20 to 30 degrees warmer than the surf.

Not all is a kick in the pants with this wacky phenomenon. Large grooves in the sand with pools can present dangers. If you can't see the bottom of a pool, don't get in there. You could unexpectedly drop into a few feet of water. There has been at least one death due to this on the north coast. See the warning video and link. Hidden Danger of Summer Sands on Oregon Coast; Video ...... It's not talked about much as it doesn't happen often. But you can fall into mysterious “holes” in the sand in those oh-so-pleasant breakers

Any longer beach can host this wacky sight. Coos Bay's Horsfall, Manzanita, Seaside, Lincoln City, Long Beach, Westport, Tillicum Beach near Yachats, Meyers Creek near Gold Beach, Bandon, and others. Smaller, thinner beaches like Gleneden Beach are unlikely.

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