Surveys of nearshore bathymetry are critical data sets for coastal studies as they allow the assessment of sediment movement including between sub-aerial and sub-aqueous regions, and provide critical input data sets, for example for coastal numerical model simulations. National scale programs like HIPP are greatly expanding the availability of bathymetric data in coastal areas, but typically only survey an area once preventing assessment of changes and often do not cover very shallow nearshore areas. While Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles, coupled with Structure from Motion photogrammetry, have revolutionised sub-aerial coastal surveying, mapping shallow nearshore areas remains complex, expensive and time-consuming. However, progress is being made at developing lower-cost, easier to use acoustic systems that have wide swaths and can be operated from small vessels or autonomous surface vehicles to conduct repeated surveys at a lower cost in shallow near coastal areas. This presentation will cover recent use of such systems across several applications. Examples include assessing nearshore sediment accretion and erosion caused by two recently installed artificial reefs, quantifying active sediment movement to assess impacts from a proposed port facility, and identifying areas of potential submerged archaeological artifacts.