Validity of seven analytical formula as well as linear and non-linear multiple regressive schemes was tested using field data from the Outer Banks, North Carolina. Generally, agreement proved unsatisfactory. Field experiences indicate that the longshore current is a velocity field consisting of a multitude of velocity vectors whose basic pattern varies depending upon the regimes of wavecurrent- topography interaction. The need to recognize topography as a responding variable as well as a process variable in the physical scheme of longshore current is emphasized.