Why do waves slide back into the ocean instead of being sucked into sand?

Question

Why do waves slide back into the ocean instead of being sucked into sand?

In: Physics

Answer 1

It does both. Water takes the easiest path back to the lowest level it can. The water that soaks into the sand can’t move very fast. The water above it has nowhere to go, until the wave passes. Then it can just roll across the water that soaked into the sand and join with the ocean again.