Boscombe Surf Reef

What is it? Europe’s first artificial surf, in Boscombe, Bournemouth is set to put the holiday resort firmly on the UK surf map. The project is part of the £11million regeneration project.

The reef does not create waves, but acts as a ramp which changes the way the waves break. The reef will improve the quality of the surf and produce a long right-hand ride of around 75 metres for surfers, and a shorter left-hand ride of around 35 metres most favourable for body boarders. As a result, the number of good surfing days will increase.

The left-hand break of the reef is designed to roll down the reef and 'clean up' the short period chop that the dominant cross-shore wind creates. This will make the wave-face on the right-hander cleaner for surfing.

Aerial view of Boscombe Beach

So, like a natural reef back in the Dorset area (e.g. Broadbench at Kimmeridge), if the wave and wind conditions produce small, lumpy waves, the conditions on the reef and surrounding banks will be mediocre and few people will be out.  During clean, long period swell, the reef and the inshore banks would all be surfable.

The reef at Boscombe is designed to provide a grade-5 wave on a day with good swell which is in the challenging range (Hawaii Pipeline is a grade-8).

In calm weather, such as July or August, the reef will create a ‘lagoon’ along the shoreline offering safe, flat conditions for families and beach users.

Shaw Mead, ASR Director says: “Expectations need to be managed with this project. We are not building a wave pool that generates so many certain-sized waves per hour, rather we are modifying the seabed to make the waves break better for surfing when there is swell. The reef will not “double the height of the waves,” although some height increase will occur at the take-off due to focussing of the peak.”

The reef is made from huge geo-textile bags which, unlike rock ledges or coral reefs have no sharp edges.

A surfer at the beach.

Where is it?

Boscombe is just a ten minute drive, or 25 minute walk from Bournemouth. The reef is approximately 250 metres from the beach, just east of Boscombe Pier and in front of the Overstrand and Barratt’s luxury Honeycombe Beach apartments. On most days, you can just see it lying under the sea’s surface. Cardinal markers on the water show that boats cannot enter the area.

The Overstrand complex is opposite the reef and provides fantastic on-land facilities.

For both surfers and beach lovers there are new changing rooms, toilets and warm showers designed by Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway, of Red or Dean fame. For surf lessons, surf and kayak hire there is Sorted Surf Shop. For quality food and drink, there is Urban Reef Restaurant, overlooking the reef. The RNLI are providing 364 year lifeguard cover in Boscombe from a dedicated lifeguard tower.

The now famous HemingwayDesign  “beach pods”,- link to boscombeoverstrand.co.uk) are available to purchase and offer a little bit of luxury on the most innovative seafront in the UK.

Who is it for?

The reef is designed to improve the surf that already exists in the area. It is for intermediate surfers. It will probably not be demanding enough for world-class surfers, but will be too challenging for beginners. The reef is a long way out to sea (paddling out 250 metres is very tiring) and surfers will be out of their depth. It is not recommended for beginners, who are instead recommended to take surfing lessons from one of the reputable surf schools in the area. You can find out details by calling Bournemouth Tourism on 0845 051 1700. Novices can practice their skills by Boscombe Pier, before gaining enough confidence for the reef.

When is it being built?

Construction of the surf reef is currently taking place. The bottom layer was completed in 2008, but consistently poor weather postponed construction.  ASR Ltd, the designers and the builders of the reef, plan to work throughout this Spring and Summer and if consistently good weather conditions occur this year, they anticipate to complete the reef this Autumn.

To monitor the progress and view regular updates of the reef, visit www.thesurfreef.co.uk. You can also follow the project on Twitter: www.twitter.com/boscombereef

Bournemouth has a large surfing community

Why build it?

Bournemouth already has an established surfing community, but the reef will draw more visitors to the area and make surfing in the UK far more accessible – just under two hours’ drive time from London.

It will enhance the water sports on offer which include kite-surfing, windsurfing, wake-boarding, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, SCUBA-diving, sailing and skim-boarding.

What we are providing is a good surfing break, in a cosmopolitan, thriving resort alongside great facilities and award-winning beaches.

How is it built?

You can find out all the information about construction here

Members of the media, please visit the press page