A fantastic new book came in post today, courtesy of Pavilion Books, an imprint of Anova Books Group Ltd.

‘Extreme Surf’ by Benjamin Marcus illustrates the lengths that some people will go for the ultimate surfing experience. Beginning with a history of the sport’s evolution, the book takes us to the most remote, most popular, and most dangerous surfing spots. From the longest, fastest, coldest and warmest waves to the deadliest waters, the book is packed with jaw-dropping images and engaging text.

Here is an extract taken from the book entitled ‘Messing with Mother Nature’, featuring Bournemouth’s upcoming artificial surf reef. Extract reproduced with permission.

Artificial reefs are dependent on swell. They can’t create magic with no materials, so you have to wonder about the wisdom of putting an artificial reef halfway up the English channel.

In December of 2007, England’s Marine and Fisheries Agency granted a special environmental license to Bournemouth Council to begin construction of an artificial reef between Bournemouth and Boscombe piers. Bournemouth is on the south coast of England, about halfway between Land’s End and Dover. The limited swell window in the middle of the English Channel is even less for Bournemouth, which is tucked away within Poole Bay and the Isle of Wight.

Stuart Matthews has been surfing England his whole life, and he says there is more surf in that area than the location would suggest: “Bournemouth reef does get swell and just 25 miles away to the west, a reef break at Kimmeridge Bay is one of the best waves in the UK – when it breaks.”

Recreational studies of the area have tallied anywhere from 77 to 100 surfable days in the Bournemouth/Boscombe area, and the local hopes are that the reef will make sense of what ocean energy is available in the area and turn the area into a year-round surf spot.

The reef was designed by Dr. Kerry Black of ASR marine systems who predicts the wave will produce a righthander that rates a 5 on a scale of 10 – with Pipeline an 8-9 on that scale. Like Narrowneck Reef (in Australia) the reef will be made of 30 metre-long geotextile bags filled with sand. The bags will be laid 225 metres out to sea, to the east of Bournemouth Pier, creating a reef the size of a football pitch – which can be as big as 90 metres by 120 metres.

However if a vibrant new surfing community can help Bournemouth shrug off its reputation as the retirement capital of England, then the cost of construction will have been a small price to pay.

This great new book is out in October. To order, go to www.amazon.co.uk.

Dr Kerry Black discusses plans for Europe’s First Artificial Surf Reef.

Read a transcription of this interview.

Link to Google video.

LATEST NEWS: Europe’s first artificial surf reef at Boscombe has been given the green light.

The Marine and Fisheries Agency has granted Bournemouth Borough Council a special environment licence to begin construction of the project.

The Council is on course to start construction in spring 2008, with the reef anticipated to be completed in time for the October 2008 swell.

MFA chief executive, Nigel Gooding said:

We are delighted to be able to issue a licence under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985.

A number of complex issues to ensure the protection of the marine environment had to be considered. The MFA had to take into account the potential impact of the reef on local fishermen and any possible danger to navigation. All the issues have been resolved.

The Borough has also approved the reef in its statutory capacity as the Coastal Protection Authority.

Specialist construction material for the reef will be ordered, including the ecologically sound geo-textile bags from Australia and the webbing base from New Zealand.

Roger Brown, Head of Leisure Services at Bournemouth Borough Council, said:

Christmas has come early to Bournemouth. This is the fantastic news that everyone has been waiting for.

The area of Bournemouth and Poole already has an excellent reputation as a leading watersports destination, however the reef will put Boscombe firmly on the surfing map.

Weather conditions permitting, we anticipate to complete the reef by Autumn 2008 and this will result in the surf reef and land-based retail, catering, and surf-instruction facilities being completed together.

We are also pleased to announce award-winning designers, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway MBE, are creating super beach huts for both surfers and holiday makers, as part of the Overstrand redevelopment.

The surf reef and super beach huts will be accompanied by a surf-themed retail outlet, a surfing academy and a glass-fronted restaurant offering fantastic panoramic views of Bournemouth and the Solent. There will also be a catering outlet selling good-quality food-to-go, changing rooms, toilets and hot showers, all contributing to the major transformation of Boscombe seafront. As expected, many companies see the area as a sound investment and are already vying for a space in this prime seafront location.