Utilizing flush mounted hot film anemometry, the bed stress under swash was measured directly in a field experiment conducted on Barret Beach, Fire Island, New York. The theory, development, and calibration of the instrument package are discussed, and results from the field experiment are presented. Examples of bed stress time series throughout a swash cycle are presented, and an ensemble averaged swash bed stress cycle is calculated. Strong asymmetry is observed between the uprush and backwash phases of the swash flow. The maximum bed shear stress exerted by the uprush is approximately double that of the backwash, while the duration of the backwash is 135% greater than that of the uprush. Friction coefficients in the swash zone are observed to be similar in magnitude to those from steady flow, with the mean observed friction coefficient equal to 0.0037. Swash friction coefficients derived from the current measurements exhibit a Reynolds number dependence similar to that observed for other flows. A systematic difference between coefficients for uprush and backwash is suggested.