Stage Two Underway
October 9th, 2008
After a rainy and unsettled start to the month, the weather has finally taken a turn for the better. Stage 2 of the reef construction is now underway and the outlook for the next week is promising.
Perfectly calm sea conditions with little wind are essential for the building of the reef. This is because construction takes place in the surf zone and requires the use of heavy machinery and specialised equipment on boats and barges. Specially trained SCUBA-divers will be working in shallow water (3-6 metres). If sea conditions are too choppy it will become difficult and too dangerous to work.
The second reef section is being laid today, ready to be filled over the coming days. The reef will be completed once the fifth section is laid and filled.
October 13th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Good to see at least one web site keeping us up-to-date.
Many are still a month behind which on a fast moving project is unacceptable.
Top marks Bournemouthsurfreef.com!
Can’t wait to see if it works.
After so many alleged failures from previous designs and the perhaps unfair critism of Mt Manganui which uses the same design, but which lets face it was never finished due to lack of funds (how can you judge an unfinished product?), this perhaps is going to be the real acid test to see if these reefs actually work. Full marks to Bournemouth for giving it a go!
October 13th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Dudes…
Yep, gotta agree with Al – well done for keeping us posted on the reef project…
Gotta hope this thing works – will be awesome to have another good surf break in the UK – and nearer to where I normally have to go to find it! Will this take the strain off Kimmeridge though – good days can be busy out there!
Still, respect to Bournemouth for giving this a go…
Ride safe kids!
Phantomboarder…
October 20th, 2008 at 3:40 am
its now the 20th and another update would be great – in the absence of such its too easy to assume no progress.
Also there is a PHD just completed that gives the results of a long and detailed study of the manganui reef.
manganui is uncompleted to many reasons mostly to do with it being the first time these guys had built anything in the water.
As usually happens in construction -what can happen will happen and that in a marine environment is unforgiving. Thats why they will only venture into “perfect conditions” . They sort have learnt something and that is not to try and build anything in the ocean unless “conditions are perfect”.
But as all are noticing that has its own drawbacks as “in a pefect world or rolled up in a cotton wool environment” things are always just perfect. Otherwise its just another day like the last and totally “unperfect”
So we await the perfect outcome when the perfect conditions are available for lng enough.