Any old salts here? Word or phrase needed for waves.

Billows or whitecaps (whitecaps are only if the waves are crested in foam).

Drachen Jager said:

Billows or whitecaps (whitecaps are only if the waves are crested in foam).

Click to expand...

Right... also rollers (big swells without whitecaps)...

The conditions aren't right for rollers. You need open water (in the direction the waves are travelling from) and calm weather. A stiff breeze would make the water too choppy to really qualify as rollers.

You're right, of course, DJ... I was thinking that it would be deep water (2 miles of the coast) and a good current flowing through a deep channel of considerable width.

Chop.

As an adjective, choppy, as in choppy seas.

I think you mean rogue waves or freak waves.

They're formed when two waves coincide (the onshore roller and a local one maybe caused by the tide or local weather conditions). They often occur near coasts.

White caps, swells, chop, are all good choices.

Taksen is right. "Chop" is the word, especially if there aren't whitecaps.