The longshore bar is an elongated ridge of sand found parallel to the shore in the surf zone on many flat coasts.

Other longshore bars may lie further offshore, representing the break point of even larger waves, or the break point at low tide.

Higher energy waves erode sediment from the beach berm and dune, and deposit it off shore, forming longshore bars.

In addition to longshore bars discussed above that are relatively small features of a beach, the term shoal can be applied to larger geological units that form off a coastline as part of the process of coastal erosion.