Floating breakwater

A floating breakwater is a moored pontoon or raft that attenuates short-period waves by reflection and the inertia of the float, with no fixed foundation. It works for marinas and sheltered water where wave periods are short, water is deep, or the seabed cannot carry a fixed mound. Effectiveness falls as wavelength rises: a floating unit gives useful protection only when its beam is a fair fraction of the incident wavelength, roughly beam greater than about half the wavelength, so it is poor against long swell. Mooring chain or pile-guide loads, transmission coefficient, and connector fatigue govern the design.