bombora

A wave that forms over a submerged offshore reef or rock, sometimes (in very calm weather or at high tide) merely swelling but in other conditions breaking heavily and producing a dangerous stretch of broken water. The word is also used for the reef or rock itself. This word probably derives from Dharuk, an Aboriginal language of the Sydney region. The term is mostly used in New South Wales, where there are several bomboras along the coast, usually close to cliffs. The term was first recorded in 1871 and is now used frequently in surfing and fishing contexts with its abbreviation bommie and bommy being common: 'After a day of oily, overhead bommie waves, we decided to head to the pub' (2001).