Abstract
The breaking limit of multi-directional random waves is still unknown and is req uested to be formulated numerically from coastal and ocean engineering viewpoint. In this paper, a brea king wave gauge is newly devised to measure the wave breaking inception as accurately as possible. Indoor laboratory experiments have shown that the breaking wave gauge is able to measure the breaking inception an d that the breaking limit of multi-directional random waves becomes smaller than that of the regular wave. T he critical wave steepness of multi-directional random waves is revealed to become smaller as the spreading p arameter Smax increases.
