The surf zone is a hazardous place. It is a very confined area where wave energy traveling across ocean basins transforms suddenly into wave bores. It is this instantaneous energy transformation, the surf break, that fascinates and challenges surfers. After a wave breaks, a complex cascade of events takes place as moving water shifts sand which in turn creates bars and channels in the surf zone. The position of bars, and associated rips, is a morphological response to a need to dissipate the energy reaching the beach while simultaneously moving water back offshore. The position of rips and bars is determined by the characteristics of the approaching waves (height and period) and the size of sediment found on the beach. At higher energy beaches, there are few rips, and bars develop offshore separated from each other by a deep trough. In moderate energy environments, bars form crescentic patterns and progressively form closer to the beach in lower energy situations. The relationship between waves, sediment, and beach shape is used to predict surf zone hazards in order to reduce drowning risk on the coast.