impact zone

Impact zone, Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia

Churning area just shoreward from where the wave folds and breaks; almost always the most dangerous place at any surf spot, and the site where virtually all surf-related injuries and deaths occur.
The phrase "impact zone" generally isn't used until the surf is at least medium sized. The impact zone at any given spot can change in size and intensity from day to day or even wave to wave. It can be measured in acres (Hawaii's Sunset Beach) or yards (First Peak Sebastian Inlet, Florida).
The Impact Zone, a young adult surfing novel by Ray Maloney, was published in 1986; Journey to the Impact Zone, a surf video by Jeff Neu, was released in 1989. A Surfer magazine man-on-the-street column in 1999 posed the question: "Is there such a thing as an atheist in the impact zone?"