Figure: An illustration of water waves in deep and shallow water

Image 1 Caption: You can just move your head along with the wave to see a water wave at rest. For waves in a pool, you can just walk beside the waves and see them at rest.

Further explication:

1. "A particle motion in an ocean wave. (A) At deep water, (B) At shallow water (The elliptical movement of a surface particle flattens with decreasing depth), (1) Progression of wave, (2) Crest, (3) Trough."

2. The oscillations in this kind of water wave motion are actually a sort of a combination longitudinal wave motion and transverse wave motion.

3. Water and objects moving with the water move in a spiral-like pattern with a net velocity (the Stokes drift velocity) in one direction.

4. In shallow water, to compensate for the surface flow in one direction toward a shore, there is a reverse flow below the surface which is called the undertow.