The objective of this research was to design and test boom arrangements that will be able to function effectively in the presence of waves and turbulent conditions and be modular and free floating. The designs were based on the principle that fluid particles in waves traverse in a circular pattern, so it was imperative to take advantage of that feature. Three models were built and tested in the open channel apparatus introducing the plausible validity of vertical cascading and sinusoidal tapering of an oil boom system. Given several flow velocities, the first two designs averaged efficiencies of 79.2% and 68.2%, respectively. The final model was tested through a series of three conditions: An ideal straight-on condition, a straight-on condition with the first surface was completely out of the water and one condition where the center line of the boom was at an angle to the water current. These three configurations yielded averaged efficiencies of 87%, 80.1%, and 70.9%, respectively. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.