FAKE DIAMONDS

One of the beachbreaks, Anne Avenue, that will be positively effected by the artificial reef. Although, judging by this picture not too much work needs to done.

“The reefs will be very similar in terms of planned shape,” says Dr. Mead, “but it depends on what Huey throws at them.” Mead, who uses computer modeling and scaled physical modeling to simulate how the waves will break, explains, “Sometimes the middle reef will be fast and hollow compared to the south western reef. All we can do is break the wave. So depending on the swell direction, each one will have slightly different aspects”

The reefs should provide huge relief to the homeowners on the water’s edge as they will regulate the sand flowing around the bay and cause the beach to widen. Needless to say the surfers are pretty stoked too. “We’re frothing to see what’s going to happen,” says local surfer Ryan Payne who agrees that the waves in the bay have not been up to scratch over the past few years. “You get the odd swell that forms a peak, but mostly it’s been closing out, so we are very excited because its going to make our waves better and hopefully bring our beach back.”

But not everyone is as excited as the local surfers are about the project. The cost of the three reefs is estimated to run up to roughly R30 million (+- $4.2 million). According to Alan Tonkin, the founder of the St. Francis Bay trust who commissioned ASR to build the reefs, there have been a few objections to the project, but he feels that they make up only a small percentage of the homeowners in the area. At the time of going to press the online poll on the Trust’s website showed that only about 10% of the residents are opposed to paying the levy. Tonkin hopes that those opposed to the project will soon see that the benefits of the project far outweigh the costs. But regardless of the objections, the reefs seem to be the last remaining solution to what is becoming a major problem at many beaches around Southern Africa, and indeed the world. For the moment however, the levy, which averages out to around R110 a month (around $15), seems a small price to pay when compared to the cost that the local environment has had to pay as a direct result of the commercial development in the area.

This also begs the question: If the price of reef development only costs the surrounding communities $15 per month, and it successfully repairs depleted beaches, why isn’t more being done to create artificial reefs in the U.S.? Overcrowding at popular surf spots could be dispersed as top-notch artificial reefs (already battle tested in New Zealand) draw crowds away from other natural spots. Squabbling over sea wall

development could be squashed if the solution to erosion was 8 feet below the surface. As we eagerly await the results of this new series of reefs it’s very surprising that organizations like the Surfrider Foundation haven’t pounced on the possibility of implementing this environmentally sound (and wave quality increasing) product.