Pacifica Surf Reef

The total volume of rock anticipated is roughly 110,000 cubic yards (Palm Beach Reef and Narrowneck are each about 80,000 cubic yards).

Researchers from the UC Santa Cruz Center for Coastal Climate Resilience are expected to participate in the modeling and evaluation conducted during the proposed feasibility study.

A key component of the proposed plan to replenish and protect the coastline is the “reef + sand” concept.

Under this approach, sand would be added to the beach initially (beach nourishment) and then the reef would help retain that sand, slowing erosion and creating a wider beach profile inside the reef.

Early construction costs put the price tag of the Pacifica reef at $45M USD. Given the complexity of coastal permitting in California, a full construction timeline could easily extend 5–10 years from concept to completion.

Anticipated Results

The Pacifica reef proposal is intended to achieve multiple goals simultaneously: coastal protection, improved surfing and ecosystem enhancement.

When waves break directly against a seawall, they tend to reflect energy and scour sand away from the shoreline. Over time, this can lead to the disappearance of the beach entirely.

The Pacifica reef will modify this process by:

• Causing waves to break offshore
• Reducing wave energy reaching the beach
• Encouraging sand to settle in the calmer water behind the reef

This phenomenon is known as wave attenuation and sediment trapping. The reef effectively acts as a submerged barrier that promotes the formation of a wider beach profile. This is a well-understood process can be seen in multiple human-made and natural locations around the world.

Proponents believe the reef could reduce erosion along Beach Boulevard in Pacifica and extend the lifespan of existing shoreline infrastructure. The reef could also help reduce the need for repeated sand nourishment, which can cost millions of dollars over time.

Surfing improvements are an additional explicit goal of the project. The Pacifica reef would be designed to shape waves in ways that create longer, more predictable rides left and rights by focusing ground swell and causing it to break in a more predictable, surfable shape.

The initial reef designs would create a left and a right. With plenty of northern pacific exposure there is no lack of swell. This will certain be one of the reef design considerations.

Proponents have suggested the reef could produce contest-quality waves, potentially making Pacifica a destination surf spot.

The Pacifica reef could also become a productive marine habitats. Hard surfaces in otherwise sandy seabeds provide attachment points for kelp, algae, mussles and barnacles. These organisms attract fish and invertebrates, forming a small reef ecosystem.

Researchers studying artificial reefs in Pacifica are also exploring kelp planting, which could further enhance ecological benefits. Kelp forests increase biological diversity and reduce wave energy.

Community Support and Next Steps

The Pacifica reef proposal is one of the most exciting reef plans since Pratte’s Reef in the early 2000s, and its likely to be infinitely more successful if it goes as planned. This success stems from the hard work put in by a coalition of local surfers, coastal engineers, and environmental advocates.

Key figures involved in the concept include:

• Rob “Birdlegs” Caughlan – Surfrider Foundation’s first president and longtime coastal advocate
• Bob Battalio – coastal engineer specializing in coastal hydraulics
• Tom Kendall, Brian Gerrity, and George Domurat – engineers and coastal management professionals with decades of experience in shoreline projects

Their proposal has been framed as a multi-purpose coastal resilience project rather than simply a surfing amenity. The concept has also gained attention because it offers a nature-based alternative to traditional seawalls, which many coastal scientists criticize for accelerating beach loss.

The city and county have not yet committed to building the reef but they have, in partnership with OneShoreline, applied for a grant through the Shoreline Erosion Control Grant Program, which is administered by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways. The application was submitted in February 2026.

The grant request is intended to fund a feasibility study for the artificial reef. The study would evaluate whether the reef would meet the coastal protection and surf improvement goals described above.

The total cost of the feasibility study is estimated at $150,000. The project team requested $75,000 from the state grant program, with the remaining portion covered by the City of Pacifica and OneShoreline through local funding and staff resources. The Shoreline Erosion Control Grant Program typically funds up to 50% of project costs, which is why the request was limited to half of the total study budget.

If funded, the study would likely take around two years and include coastal modeling, sediment transport analysis, and evaluation of potential reef designs. The results would help determine whether constructing an artificial reef could be a viable part of Pacifica’s broader efforts to address coastal erosion, sea-level rise, and storm impacts along Beach Boulevard.