The Boscombe Surf Reef will be fully tested with professional competition

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Sorted Surf Shop is pleased to announce the first Surf Contest at the newly completed artificial surf reef at Boscombe, Bournemouth. Sorted will be joining forces with many of the surf industries giants to bring a surf contest and festival to the beach at Boscombe.

March 20th and 21st are two days to keep in your diary! The weekend will consist of Surfing and Bodyboarding competitions and there will be activities and demonstration stands with equipment for all to try.

The contest categories will consist of a Mens Open, Mens 35+, Ladies Open, and Juniors (under 18´s). The contest will also host the first leg of the British Bodyboarding Annual Championships. Bodyboard heats to be contested on the Reef all other categories will be held at the Pier / Beach.

Exciting prizes will be provided by the events main sponsor Rip Curl while demonstration equipment to try out will be provided by Tiki, Rusty & Firewire for surfboards, Jimmy Lewis & Tiki for Stand Up Paddle Boards, BIC will have Kayaks and Indo Board sessions will be operating throughout the day. Gul team riders Mar "Igor" Harris and Russel Winter will be in attendance to give advice and sign autographs for all who show on the day.

However it won´t end there as Monster Energy Drink will be hosting the after party being held at Boscombe´s coolest bar, Urban Beach. There you will find all of the contest organizers, sponsors and contest competitors enjoying a BBQ, drink and live music with a few surprises thrown in to the mix.

Competitor Information

Information for all competitors - The Sorted Surf Contest/Festival will be run under the usual guidelines and rules outlined by the British Surfing Association. Any competitor found to be intoxicated will be refused entry into the competition and no refund will be given.

Judging - Will take the usual criteria i.e. ´a surfer performing the most radical maneuvers in the most critical part of the wave´ will receive the highest scoring potential; this is the case for all categories.

Check-in time - for all competitors will be at 0730 on Saturday morning located at Sorted Surf School on the East side of Boscombe Pier on the promenade. Sunday Check-in will be at 0830.
We aim to have the first heats in the water by 0800 Saturday and to complete all the round one heats and the quarter finals on day one. Sunday´s first heat will start at 0900 for completion of the semis and the final by approximately 15.30

Categories - Mens Open, Mens over 35´s, Ladies open, Junior U18, and BodyBoard Open
All categories may have up to 32 entrants. Beach entries may be accepted on the day if space is available.

Heats - will consist of 4 competitors with a running time of 20 minutes per heat.
Round 1 will consist of 8 heats, then 4 heats for the quarter finals, 2 heats for the semi finals and 1 heat for the final.
Surfers may catch up to a maximum of 12 waves per heat, at the end of each heat it shall be your top 2 wave scores that decides your position, the 2 highest scoring surfers progressing to the next heat. In the event of a tie between 2 persons it will go to their 3rd wave score or even their 4th wave score and so on if necessary.

All surfers must have BSA insurance or a full membership to Wessex Surf Club. You may be required to prove your insurance on the day.

Prizes will be presented on the Sunday afternoon at Sorted Surf School after all finals are finished.

There will be a Party at Urban Beach on the Saturday Night for all, organised by Sorted Surf Shop & Monster Energy Drink.

2010 Q&A with the Directors of ASR, ltd

Q: How does an artificial reef (Multi-Purpose reef) work in terms of surfing?

A: A Multi-purpose reef is designed as a means for coastal protection, beach erosion and to enhance marine habitat and create recreational activities, such as surfing as you mention above, as well as other activities like fishing and diving.

If building a reef for surfing we would look closely at the existing tides, wind and ground swell direction. Once we have the data we need, we design the slope of the multi-purpose reef to create optimal waves. Multi-purpose reefs do not make waves - they help waves break. The best reefs in the world do not break unless there is solid ground swell along with good wind and tides. 

Q: Why does ASR use the term multi-purpose reef instead of artificial reef? 

A: The term multi-purpose reef is used instead of artificial reef because our reefs serve multiple purposes. The 3 main purposes they serve are:

        1. Coastal protection - The multi-purpose reef stops wave energy from hitting the beach.  This reduction in wave energy leaves existing sand on the beach thus sustaining the existing beach or building back the beach that has eroded.

BOTTOM LINE: Saves beaches/helps people, communities and stops erosion.

        2. Enhanced marine habitat - Once the reef is in place the Geo-Textile material helps foster marine growth with respect to the marine species that are indigenous to the specific area the reef is located.

BOTTOM LINE: Creates habitat for indigenous marine species.

        3. Recreation - Because the reef is redirecting wave energy to hit on the reef instead of the shore, there's more activity out at sea.

BOTTOM LINE: Creates an amenity for diving, fishing and surfing!

Q: How does an artificial reef help the ocean, are there any studies to support this?

A: Reports have found that 25% of the world's coral reefs are gone or are severely damaged and that another third are degraded and threatened - proving that we need a solution. That's where Multi-purpose reefs come in. Since they're placed off the shore and help to redirect the wave energy, they're helping to protect the coastline and the beaches - keeping sand where it should be.

There is solid data that shows traditional reefs protect the beaches and the land behind them.  Instead of using progressive and new technologies, traditional coastal protection has been practiced using the same old structures, which are mainly rock revetments, groins and jetties.   

Mimicking nature, we have created Multi-Purpose Reefs that provide similar beach protection benefits of natural reefs, acting as a protective barrier to the coastline to help decrease sand erosion on our beaches. Multi-purpose reefs have the following benefits over the traditional methods:

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  1. Multi-purpose reefs are environmentally-friendly future of coastal protection and green solutions
  2. Multi-purpose reefs help to keep our beaches intact, while solutions such as concrete walls aren't actually beach protection at all, they are land protection and have been shown to actually increase the rate of sand erosion on beaches rather than reduce it.
  3. Multi-purpose reefs are submerged offshore structures, ensuring the natural beauty while enhancing the existing condition of the beaches.

Multi-purpose reefs also create new marine habitats. 200 species have been found living on or around the reef built in Narrowneck Australia and the Bournemouth reef has already become home to organisms including cuttlefish and spidercrabs. Additionally, it's worth noting that traditional coastal protection structures carry a carbon footprint 3 to 6 times greater than a Multi-Purpose reef.  These alone are reasons to look at alternatives.  We passionately believe that multi-purpose reefs are the sustainable future of coastal protection.  
 

Q: There have been many numbers thrown around, but, bottom line what can the town of Bournemouth expect long-term financially?

A: The reef as the centerpiece of the Boscombe Spa Redevelopment has already been a great investment for the city, as shown by the revitalized seafront and the corresponding socio-economic benefits to the community.  

An impartial third party research firm conducted a study and found that the marketing and PR value of the Reef in Boscombe, even before its completion, was estimated to be greater than $10M pounds which is over 3 times the total cost of the reef.  

The thriving restaurants - some of which are named after the reef like "Urban Reef" and "Reef Encounter" - and increased retail activity and hotel accommodations (even during a recessionary period) also are positive indicators of economic stimulus. 

The other great aspect is the amount of surf lessons that have been preformed since the reef has been introduced.  While I was in Boscombe I witnessed a group of women in their sixties taking surf lessons!   This is only a slice of the socio economic benefit that the reef has already brought to the area and we have no doubt that it will continue to bring economic prosperity to the region for decades to come.   

Q: What is the history of ASR and how did you get hired to do the Bournemouth Artificial Reef?

A: The Bournemouth multi-purpose reef project was a concept endorsed by the Bournemouth Borough Council as well as numerous notable, local surfers.

The reef marked the first time that ASR actually constructed one of our designs. ASR did the design only for the Narroneck, Mount Maunganui and Openake reefs. Realizing the importance of being involved from conception to completion, ASR decided to put together an in house construction arm to specialize it the construction of the Multi-purpose reefs we were designing.

It was a necessary evolution for the company and our team is now mobilized in Kovalame, India where they are building India's first multi-purpose reef for coastal protection.



Why we should give Boscombe surf reef time to prove itself

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By Dave Oliver

Over the last few months there has been a good deal of critisism of the Boscombe surf reef and many local residents have expressed an opinion, most of which seem to be based on an incorrect understanding of the reef's capability and potential.

I have written these words in an effort to help the non-surfing community understand what the reef aims to do, and more importantly explain why we haven't seen the perfect barelling waves the local critics seem to be expecting.

Firstly, in response to those who suggested that we had excellent surfing conditions last week and that the reef was not working.

Well, frankly, we did not have anywhere near good conditions last week. Howling onshore winds did indeed produce large waves (reminiscent of a washing machine) but this practically never results in a good surfing wave.

The reef is designed to amplify an existing swell into a steep, fast wedged wave. This will not happen (assuming ASR's design is accurate) until a good solid ground swell appears at the same time as offshore winds. This is the key to the best conditions.

There is no point making accusations about bad design, or the reef being in the wrong place until we see clean, pealing waves breaking towards the end of Boscombe pier with an offshore wind.

I would urge all those suggesting otherwise to be patient and wait. The combination of ground swell with offshores is rare enough on the south coast but as we go into winter it should happen and then we can all make our judgements.

In response to the recent 'white elephant' article, to suggest that the reef is on the wrong side of the pier because the surfers go to the far side is frankly a little naive. An onshore windy wave like the last few days is normally accompanied by a strong current.

Depending on the exact wind direction the pier can act as a shelter and shield the waves from breaking quite so early and messily.

Most of the surfers will select either the right or left of the pier depending on the direction of the current, as no surfer wants to waste all their energy on paddling away from the pier which can get a tad hairy in big onshore waves.

So when you see surfers on the right of the pier more often than not this is due to a current flowing towards Bournemouth, and if they are on the left the current is normally flowing towards Southbourne.

That is not to say that sometimes (normally in calm weather with a good wave period) waves will break best on one particular side of the pier, but in recent weeks chosing a side was almost certainly due to current and tidal conditions.

I have purposely not gone into the science of surfing and forecasting but if you want to understand more I would suggest looking at ASR's website or surfing guidance such as Magicseaweed.

Whilst any local surfer reading this might think it patronising, I very much hope that some of the critical parties out there who have been so eager to dismiss the project might read this and give the reef another chance. Given the right conditions to perform as we all hope it will, it may prove a success for the local businesses and regeneration of Boscombe.

If you would like to follow up-to-date surf conditions please visit my website at www.jellyphish.co.uk.

Artificial surf reef is complete

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The Boscombe surf reef was first expected to open in October 2008

Europe's first artificial surf reef has been completed off Boscombe in Dorset.

However, the delayed £3m project cannot be officially launched until Bournemouth Borough Council has carried out tests with RNLI lifeguards on it.

Bad weather on Wednesday meant scheduled training had to be cancelled, the council said.

The surf reef, which has more than doubled in cost, is part of an £11m regeneration of the seafront. A launch date has not yet been set.

It was expected to open in October 2008, but construction was halted until April due to bad weather conditions.

Councillor Beverley Dunlop, cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said: "Understandably we are disappointed with today's delay, but this is such a crucial part of the completion process which must be executed properly.

'Not demanding enough'

"Though the underwater phase is now complete Bournemouth Borough Council still have to finalise all its safety aspects.

"This involves testing the reef's lifeguarding facility and so we have to wait for the perfect conditions for the RNLI.

"The lifeguards need to be prepared for every situation in order for us to officially open the surf reef to the public."

Barry Heathfield, RNLI divisional lifeguard manager for Dorset, said: "RNLI Lifeguards work and train in a variety of conditions, however, the new artificial surf reef brings its own challenges.

"Unfortunately today's weather conditions were not demanding enough to put the lifeguards through the specialist training they need in ski and swim rescue surf conditions."

The reef was built by New Zealand-based ASR to enhance waves and improve surfing conditions using 55 sand-filled "geotextile bags" which are 225m (740ft) out to sea.

ASR said it was enlisted to help Bournemouth improve its surfing conditions in order to increase tourism, but that the reef would provide a much more "substantial benefit" to the beachside community in terms of coastal protection.