Experiments were carried out for the study of bow breaking waves using two-dimensional circular cylinders and normal plates semi-submerged in a steady surface flow. The influences of the breaking waves on the drag coefficients, the pressure distributions and the surface elevations are discussed. A theory is presented for the flow past a normal plate with front separation bubbles. The present wake model, two parameters of which are given by the surface elevations on the both sides of the surface-piercing plate, predicts the drag, the pressure distribution on the plate and the surface elevation in front of the plate in good agreement with the experiments. The drag of two-dimensional semi-submerged bodies is shown to be determined by the surface elevations on the both sides and the equivalent drag which means the one without the effect of free-surface. The empirical functions for the former is obtained and it is shown that the other one of the plate is calculated from the present theory and the drag of circular cylinder with splitter plate is available to the equivalent one.