A microwave radar has been developed to measure the surface orbital velocities of ocean waves, and hence estimate the wave height spectra. The Doppler radar exploits the frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) technique to provide good spatial resolution (much less than the ocean wavelengths of interest) making it suitable for ocean wave propagation studies. We present initial data demonstrating the radar's capabilities to deduce near-shore ocean wave properties. The spatial and temporal variations of the orbital velocities reveal the wave propagation, and the deduced waveheight spectra show wave growth as they approach the shore. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1990