Boscombe Surf Reef

Boscombe surf reef was an artificial reef built off the coast of Boscombe in Bournemouth, UK. After significant delays, it opened to the public in 2009 only to be closed two years later after failing to deliver quality waves and falling apart.

Wave Size and Shape

The Boscombe surf reef occasionally produced fast, slabby waves that were much more attractive to bodyboarders than surfers. The left was shorter and quicker, and occasionally offered barrels to bodyboarders. The right was longer and slightly more playful offering rides that lasted up to 8 seconds.

The reef worked best on swells that produced waves that measured between 1 and 2 meters on the face of the wave. The location of the reef limited its exposure to swells larger than that.

Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the reef diminished as it deteriorated and suffered damage from boat propellers. It was officially declared closed in 2011 and would not open for surfing again.

Design and Construction

The town of Boscombe decided to invest in an artificial surfing reef based on the hopes that it would provide a unique focal for the waterfront redevelopment effort. The reef was designed by ASR Ltd. from New Zealand, the same company behind a few other artificial reefs such as Opunake, Kovalam and Narrowneck.

Prior to the reef installation, research showed that there were 77 good surfing days per year. 153 days total were surfable that same year. There were a total of 5000 surf visits to Boscombe that year. The reef was designed to improve surfing conditions and double the number of good surfing days to help generate 10,000 visits to the Boscombe beach front.

The reef was designed to improve the shape incoming swells to create a longer right-hand wave and a shorter left-hand wave. Like Narrowneck and Kovalam reef, Boscombe surf reef was designed to use 55 large geotextile containers that were filled with local sand. The total volume of the reef was 13,000 m³ and the reef was designed to cover 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of ocean floor about 210m from the shoreline.

The original estimate to design and construct the reef was £1.4 million, but the reef ended up costing £3.2 million. The project was funded primarily by the city which sold a car park and beach pods to finance the project.

ASR Ltd. started construction started in June 2008. The geotextile containers were manufactured in New Zealand, shipped to Boscombe, placed on the sea floor and filled with sand. After a break during the winter of of 2008-2009, construction was completed and the reef was declared open in November 2009.

After boat propeller damaged a container, repairs were made to the reef in April 2011. However, the reef closed during the summer of 2011 for safety reasons. ASR started to make repairs and improvements to the reef in August 2011. By adding seven new containers to the reef, they hoped to extend the length of the right to 65m. Unfortunately, before the repairs were completed, construction was suspended for the winter. ASR was supposed to resume construction in the spring, but the company went into liquidation in September 2012. The director of the company, Nick Behunin disappeared. The company still owes Bournemouth Borough Council £15,000.

In 2017, the reef was rebranded and reopened as a “multipurpose reef” as part of the Boscombe’s coastal activity park.

Sources: Wikipedia, Bournemouth Echo