How does it work?

The reef does not create waves like a swimming pool wave machine would. Instead, the large sand bags are laid on the seabed and act as a giant ramp, pushing the natural waves upwards as they crest over the reef, shaping them into good quality surfing waves.

Because the breaking section of the wave will run down the reef (peeling) instead of a wave breaking in one go (or “closing out”), the waves on the reef are better for surfing.  Therefore, the surf reef will see waves peeling down the reef and breaking with more power than on the beach.

The prevailing swell means the wave can begin peeling at the start of the reef and continue peeling until the end of the reef.  The angles that waves break across the reef are in the range 53º to 66º on the right hand wave and approximately 70º for the left hander.  The lower the angle, the more challenging the break is to surf.

I’m on the beach and I can’t see it working? Why?

As the reef doesn’t actually create waves, it will only make a difference on days when there is already good sized swell occurring naturally. If the sea is calm and flat, it will remain so. You will mostly see the reef working in the surf season; September through to April.

How will I know it is working?

Plymouth University have reviewed the design of the reef, and found it to be well-designed and well-positioned.

For one year from completion of the reef, Plymouth University will monitor:

• The shape of breaking waves – are they now peeling instead of closing out, and within the stated angles?  Are the waves breaking with more power than on the beach? They’ll do this through site visits and by monitoring data collected from on-site cameras.

• The number of surfable days, compared to previous years.

• The number of surfers, at both the Pier and the reef areas, compared to previous years.

Design specifics

Boscombe’s reef design takes into account a number of key factors to obtain the optimum solution for this specific location.  These are:

• Wave Climate - The waves at Boscombe are generally small and so the reef has been designed to increase the breaking wave height as much as possible and maximise the number of surfing days.

• Wind Climate – a large number of surfable days at Boscombe are accompanied by winds from the south west, which cause choppy sea conditions. One of the major design criteria for the Boscombe reef was that it should provide some protection from wind-chop.

• Crest Height – The level of the reef crest determines the frequency that waves break on the reef. Due to tidal factors, it is necessary for the crest height of the Boscombe reef to be relatively high so that better quality breaks waves are achieved more often.