Why does wave refraction occur and how does it affect the direction of waves?

Wave refraction occurs when waves approach a shoreline at an angle. This happens because the part of the wave that reaches shallow water first slows down, causing the wave to bend. As a result, the direction of the waves is altered, with the wave fronts becoming more parallel to the shoreline. This can lead to waves breaking more evenly along the coast and can also cause waves to focus on headlands or bend around obstacles.