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river bar A ridge or mound of sand, gravel, or other unconsolidated material below the high water level, especially at the mouth of a river or estuary, or lying a short distance from and usually parallel to the beach, and which may obstruct navigation. On many river entrances, crossing the bar can be a hazardous process, especially with an ebbing tide against a large on-shore swell. The current slows the waves which forces them to steep heights (kinetic energy converted to potential energy). These waves can then break making hazardous conditions. note to that viewed from seaward you see only the backs of the waves so they do not look as menacing as they actually are. In a notable swell and maybe other times as well we must wait for the flood to cross the bar. Bar conditions are reported by the USCG for many bars along the US West and East coast.

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