In case of coasts with steep foreshores coastal structures suffer more from damage than normally could be expected from given boundary conditions at deep water. For that reason in many guidelines it is recommended to apply a heavier class of rock in those cases; manufacturers of single layer units (like Accropode, Core-loc or Xbloc) recommend a lower Kd value in case of a steep foreshore. Unfortunately until recently there was no insight in the physical processes leading to this extra load. In the stability formula of VAN DER MEER [1988] shallow water and steep foreshores are not considered.