These high sea cliffs (more than 30 m high), facing large swells with long fetches in the open Atlantic Ocean, provide spectacular scenic distraction from predominantly low islands. Many of the near vertical cliff faces are undercut by notches and sea caves that eventually lead to slope failure. This rocky shore contains many promontories and embayments (photo center), as shown here. Note rivulets of seawater back flowing from waves reaching almost half way up the cliff face. The seaward margins of cliff tops often contain boulders that have been heaved up by storm waves to surmount the steep cliff face, as shown here by the craggy topography along the horizon. These open-Atlantic coastlines in the Bahamas contain rather complicated carbonate stratigraphic sequences with subtidal oolitic marine deposits, beach deposits, weathering zones, cliff talus, and oolitic eolianites, as described by Hearty and Kindler (1993, 1995, 1997). Exposure of these materials has been useful in studies of Pleistocene highstand and lowstand positions, with major oscillations separated by weakly developed soils (protosols). (Photograph taken in 1992 by Charlie Finkl, Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc. [CERF], Fletcher, North Carolina, U.S.A.)