Yes. Start with marine and surf forecasts: marine reports often give offshore wave height and swell direction, while surf-focused sites can estimate breaking-wave conditions at specific beaches. These are useful, but shoreline waves are still heavily shaped by local conditions.

The main factors are wind direction and speed, swell direction, beach orientation, bottom contour, and tide. Local beach slope matters a lot: flatter beaches tend to produce longer breaking runs and longer receding-water trails, especially around lower tide when more shallow beach is exposed. Steeper beaches usually give shorter wave runs.

Wind can also change surf size. Depending on the beach and wind direction, winds that push with the incoming surf can build waves, while winds pushing against it can reduce them.

For the “ebb” or backwash effect in photos, there isn’t a simple forecast value. It depends on how the last wave broke, the timing before the next wave arrives, and the shape of the beach. In practice, it’s often best to choose an exposure that suits the look you want and wait for a wave sequence that gives a pleasing retreat pattern, rather than trying to adjust settings for every wave.