The amplfication (damping) of elastic surface waves (ESW) in a layer-type amplifier is studied using the scattering of light on ESW. The distribution of the acoustic field is determined both in the amplifying and damping regimes for various levels of acoustical input power. The resulting curves indicate a nonlinearity in density at large ESW amplitudes. A method is shown for determining the magnitude of the ″mechanical″ damping caused by scattering of ESW and their transformation into other types of waves.