Experiments have been performed on the flow generated after the breaking of laboratory-generated water waves. Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) was employed to make flow-field measurements in the post-breaking region of both spilling and plunging breakers, for a range of times close to breaking. The development of the technique in order to study the temporal evolution of the flow with high resolution CCD cameras is outlined. The visual record generated by PIV is presented in the form of a large set of vorticity and velocity maps. This information is used to describe the flow and its evolution over time. The raw data is then further processed in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of PIV in measuring complex turbulent characteristics. Energy and velocity profiles, temporal decay of turbulent kinetic energy and power spectra are calculated and the results compared with other experimental, numerical and theoretical work. Similarities and differences are considered and explanations offered.