The reef acts as a ramp which changes the way the waves break. The reef will improve the quality of the surf and produce a right-hand ride of around 75 metres. As a result, the number of good surfing days will increase. Bournemouth already has an established surfing community, but the reef will draw more visitors to the area, enhancing the water sports on offer which includes kite-surfing, windsurfing, wake-boarding, kayaking, SCUBA-diving, sailing and skim-boarding.

The licence to build the reef was granted by the Marine and Fisheries Agency in December 2007. Land-based construction started on the reef 16th July 2008 with the rolling out of the geo-mat which is the base layer of reef and prevents the reef from sinking into the seabed and being moved by the force of the sea. To monitor the progress and view regular updates of the reef, visit www.thesurfreef.co.uk

Specialist construction material for the reef, the ecologically sound geo-textile bags came from Australia, with the webbing base from New Zealand.

Roger Brown, Head of Leisure Services at Bournemouth Borough Council, says: “The area of Bournemouth and Poole already has an excellent reputation as a leading water sports destination, however the reef will make surfing in the UK far more accessible. What we are providing is a good surfing break, in a cosmopolitan, thriving resort alongside great facilities and award-winning beaches.”

Boscombe is currently enjoying an £10million make-over. Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway MBE are designing luxury beach huts in the Overstrand complex, on Boscombe promenade, offering all the mod-cons expected by the 21st century surfer and holiday maker.

Boscombe Victorian Chine Gardens have been transformed, Boscombe Pier end has been demolished and rebuilt and the seafront is being re-landscaped. The surf reef and super beach huts will be accompanied by a surf retail outlet, a surfing school and a glass-fronted restaurant offering fantastic panoramic views of Bournemouth and the Solent. There will also be a catering outlet selling good-quality food-to-go, an RNLI beach lifeguard station, changing rooms, toilets and warm showers, all contributing to the major transformation of Boscombe seafront.

For more information visit www.thesurfreef.co.uk or call Bournemouth Tourism on 0845 051 1700.

Please note – the surf reef will not generate waves, but will amplify the existing surf. It has been reported that the reef will create 13ft waves. This is not correct as the surf reef is expected to increase the size and improve quality of the existing surf.

INFORMATION ON EUROPE’S FIRST ARTIFICIAL SURF REEF
ABOUT THE REEF

Bournemouth Surf Reef in Boscombe will be one of four artificial reefs worldwide: Narrowneck, Queensland; Opunaki, New Zealand and Mt.Maunganui, New Zealand.

The reef in Bournemouth will be located to the east of Boscombe Pier (about 2.5 kilometres from Bournemouth Pier) and the submerged reef will take up approximately one hectare (the size of a football pitch) which will be 225 metres from the shoreline. The reef mimics the effects of a natural reef and will be built from large geo-textile bags pumped hard with sand. The sandbags weigh up to 2,500 tonnes and biggest are up to 70m long, 2m high and 6m wide, so once they are in place nothing will move them!

What conditions will the Surf Reef provide?
The reef acts as a ramp which changes the way the waves break. The reef has been designed to provide mainly a right-hand breaking wave of approximately 75m. 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. This is similar to the way that the tight configuration of the piles at Bournemouth Pier results in cleaner conditions on the eastern side of it, i.e. the piles block the cross-shore chop (and the wind in this case).

During clean swell conditions with light winds, the left-hander will also provide a 20m fast ride, which will likely be most favourable to body boarders. This is similar to the Narrowneck Reef on the Gold Coast in Australia, and the Mount Reef in New Zealand. It is expected that inshore of the reef, better surfing conditions will also occur due to the changes in wave-height gradients caused by the presence of the reef offshore, which result in sand banks with peeling and surfable waves.

So, like a natural reef back in the Bournemouth 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. This is evident at the Mount and at Narrowneck. Nor will the reef "create 13foot waves” (it will break such waves if they are there), and it will definitely not create 75m high waves as I read in one article recently!”

What is going on a Boscombe Beach?
The Boscombe beach site has been prepared by ASR Ltd. A section of the beach has been cordoned off and the sand is being refined in preparation to fill the bags. There is a huge mound of sand piled high on the beach. This will then be pumped using piping from the beach to the reef construction site which is 260 metres offshore.

Building the Reef
The reef will be built in two layers: the bottom layer sitting on the sea bed consists of three sections, on top of which lies the second layer of two sections. The first section is deployed on Boscombe seabed, filled and then the second reef section is laid and filled and so on, until the reef is completed, once the fifth section is laid and filled.

The bottom layer elements consist of three individual sections:
1. a geo-mat to minimise the structure sinking into the sea
2. overlain by a huge web of specially sewn material that looks like large seat belts
3. on top of which huge geo-textile empty bags are attached

These have been tied together to create the first section, which has then been folded into a concertina and placed on a barge, ready for deployment on the seabed. When the weather is good enough for deployment (perfectly calm weather conditions are essential) the barge where it will be transported to the site at Bosocmbe.

Prior to placing of the first set of bags, 11 temporary anchors have been set around the perimeter of the surf reef site. They will be used for locating and securing the five reef sections elements when they are filled. Each reef element will be placed on a barge, transported to the site, lowered, and the shore end of the reef will be attached to a set of anchors by divers. The barge will then be slowly winched along the reef site allowing the section to gradually unfold and peel off into the water. The section will then be pulled down onto the seabed with winches and secured in place on the anchors ready for filling.

The top layer consists of two larger sets of bags secured to locating webbing without the geo-mat layer, as they will be sitting firmly on top of existing sand bags. The sequence previously described is followed again. When the filling phase has been completed, divers will remove the location straps attached to the anchors, and the contractor will remove the temporary anchors. The surf reef will be constructed and completed, but its results will only be noticeable once the surf arrives.

Why is the project so dependant on weather conditions?
Perfectly calm sea conditions with little wind are essential for the building of the reef. This is because construction takes place in the surf zone and requires the use of heavy machinery and specialised equipment on boats and barges. Specially trained SCUBA-divers will be working in shallow water (3-6 metres) when deploying the reef. If sea conditions are too choppy it will becomes difficult and too dangerous to work.

What will the effect be on marine life and/or coastal erosion?
It is likely that marine life will thrive on the reef and there will be no damaging effects to the beach. Bournemouth Borough Council is working closely to monitor marine life. Experts predict the reef itself is likely to become a busy habitat over time, with marine creatures colonising its surfaces and taking shelter within it, developing into a haven for wildlife that would not otherwise exist on a flat seabed.

Although the reason for building this reef is for regeneration and leisure, expert opinion says that it may also help with coastal defences. Other reefs built for both coastal protection and watersports have provided good protection on the beaches. This is because the wave energy drops before the waves reach the shore. The delay in processing the licence for the surf reef was due to the Marine and Fisheries Agency extensive consultation and research to ensure the reef would not have a negative impact on coastal erosion.

Is the surf reef for everyone?
No, the reef will be 225 metres out to sea from the shore, and so surfers will need to be physically fit and competent to even ride out to the reef.

Surfers will be out of their depth and the waves may be challenging. Beginners are recommended to take the advice of regulated surf schools to find out the best places to surf along Bournemouth coast. The RNLI will provide safety cover on the reef 364 days of the year. It will be free to surf the reef.

How many people can use the reef at one time?
In regards to the number of surfers that can use the Surf Reef, once completed, it will be like any natural surfing break, i.e. this will be dictated by the conditions on the day.

The “surfbeat” is the period between sets of waves and will determine how many people can utilise the breaks. If there are long lulls between sets, less people will be out (or lots may be out, but only a few will be catching waves). If there are sets coming in all the time, a lot of people will be out and many people will be catching waves.

Temperature conditions are also a factor, for example if it is very cold surfers may not be able to stay out very long. This means that although the conditions are good, the number of people out may be low, with a high turn-over rate of surfers coming in to warm up and others taking there place.

With respect to use associated with the reef, there will also be snorkelling and SCUBA-diving in calm weather, kite-boarders and wind-surfers in very windy times and the people on the beach and Pier simply watching people ride the waves. Usage surveys are scheduled to follow the completion of reef and which should provide more information.

Paul Clarke from Bournemouth Surfing Centre, says: “The reef spells a boom time for the area. Surfing first hit our beaches in the 1960’s and today Bournemouth has the third largest population of surfers in the country. For the 10,000 locals and a catchment that includes London, the reef promises to be a huge attraction, the nearest thing to an Atlantic roller this side of Cornwall. The reef will not only boost the area’s already thriving tourist industry but will encourage other watersports such as diving, windsurfing and provide a habitat for greater biodiversity”.

How much does it cost?
None of the funding for the reef and the Boscombe Spa Regeneration Project has come from tax-payers’ money. The construction cost of the reef is £2.68million. Bournemouth Borough Council raised the £9.66 million Boscombe Spa Regeneration Project funds through the sale of an under-used seafront car park. This land was purchased by Barratt Homes and is being used for the luxury Honeycombe Beach complex. For more information please see www.barratthomes.co.uk.

What is the economic value of the reef?
A Council Economic Impact Assessment has suggested that the reef will provide direct income of up to £3million per annum. It will create an image value of £10million p.a. resulting from a variety of publications and media interest on a national scale. It would generate a huge stimulus for equipment retailing, surf-training schools, accommodation, drink and food and would create an estimated 60 full-time and 30 part-time jobs. A recent survey in Cornwall revealed that surfers spend 8% more than other holidaymakers.

Who is Dr Kerry Black?
Dr Kerry Black is the managing director of ASR Ltd and the designer of the Boscombe surf reef. He is the Director of an Australian research institute and a top research scientist in the esteemed National Institute of Water and Atmosphere in New Zealand. He has published over 400 scientific documents and written or been the subject of hundreds of popular articles, television interviews and newspaper articles. He edited the world’s first scientific journal issue on offshore reefs for coastal protection and recreation (surf reefs).

Dr Kerry Black has travelled the entire Pacific Rim and measured 44 of the world’s best surf breaks, to find out what makes a world-class wave and, ultimately, how to replicate it artificially.

Dr Kerry Black, designer of the reef says: “Boscombe is a really great place to live and the redevelopment is turning the town into a fantastic place to visit – surfing, windsurfing, redevelopment of the foreshore and the pier will make it a great place to come and relax. The surfing conditions mean you won’t have to travel so far to get a great wave, and with the growth and interest in the sport the UK’s surfers can enjoy a great time in a great environment with the challenge to get a great wave!

Knock on positive effects for the tourism have been amazing and really grounded the town. There’s publicity and a buzz for the whole community to feel alive and vibrant – clearly broader than just surfers, it’s a lifestyle.”