[Boscombe Surf Reef in Bournemouth, UK]

A new project in Boscombe (near Bournemouth, UK) proposes an artificial wave-breaking ridge located about 210 meters from shore. Not exactly a surfer's paradise yet, Boscombe hopes to raise its profile with the new £2.7million surf reef. Sculpting the seabed, the ridge will be made of two layers of geotextile bags, a total of 55 bags of various diameters and lengths, covering an area the size of - since it is England - a football pitch. The bags will be anchored to a geotextile mat on the seabed.

Once the bags are in position on the seabed, they will be pumped with sand, bringing their weight up to 2500 tons and heights of up to 2m.

[surf reef simulation, complete with AIR]

The large ridge is estimated to make break waves of up to 13ft (4m). It simultaneously serves as an artificial reef for local marine life. The project is designed by Dr. Kerry Black, aka the Surfing Futurist. Dr. Black is an oceanographer that has pioneered the artificial surf reef into a triple whammy of coastal erosion protection, surfer's dream, and marine life reef.

[Dr. Kerry Black asks: How does complex bathymetry affect wave shoaling and breaker characteristics?]

[The configuration of large-scale reef components at Bingin, Bali, Indonesia from ASR Ltd.]

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