When canoeing, I used to call that a stopper wave - great for getting dangerously stuck, for the thrill of it near a sluice for example!

I think a bore, like the Severn Bore, is more like a small tidal wave, in that it is a sudden rush of volume moving though the existing water level, no?

edit: 'see the movie'!

http://www.severn-bore.co.uk/default.htm