Places features

What do you think of the new artifical surf reef? Leave your comments below.

lived in boscombe ten years
good idea, at least the council are trying, lets hope the over zealouse traffic wardens, and parking restrictions dont deter people from coming to the area.

kate thomas
i am really excited about the reef, if we only get some nice weather but its usually unexpected here its going to be magical

CJ
"a deterrent to families with young children who like to be near the pier.....don't want hoards of board weilding people running back and forth" I, along with all the other surfers, will be busy about 2.5km out to sea ON THE WAVE, rather than running around on the sand annoying parents & children.The reef might be costing a lot of tax payers money, but check out the amazing growth it has bought to the sea front. I'm sure the extra council tax from all those new flats will have paid for the reef in no time.

Starfish
It's a win win situation! The reef will be a great tourist attraction and added buzz to the area. The reef will create a haven for marine life and don't forget that it will protect the beech from erosion too. They can get rid of some of those ugly groynes.

Kit Yardley
Brilliant idea. So how much did it cost the tax payer? Did anybody on the council bother to ask the local people if they wanted to pay for it?

James
CRACK ON..

Michael
Of course its effectiveness will depend upon getting a swell to start with, and the English Channel is not an ocean by any stretch of the imagination. Good luck though.

carol
It's about time Boscombe had some money spent on it, but I'm concerned about the effect on Fisherman's Walk and Hengistbury Head beaches.Does anyone really know what long term damage might be done? Incidentally I'm in agreement with Dave Allum. Let's get rid of the Imax building. What an eyesore!

Clare Mills
I think that the reef sited where it is, is a deterrent to families with young children who like to be near the pier and all the amenities nearby, it seems to me to be excluding the majority of seaside holidaymakers who come to Bournemouth beause of our beautiful beaches and who don't want hoards of board weilding people running back and forth through them to ride an artificial wave, which, will upset the natural ambience of the beach.

jon
This is stupid. Surfing is for the Pacific.

Mia
This new surf reef is going to be fab, me and my friends would be able to hit the big waves we have been waiting for!!

Jakub Wietrzyk
Should be nice for windsurfers as well ;]I'm waiting ;]

california dreamer
WELL DONE GET ON WITH IT!!!!!!!ACTION SPEAKS LOUDER THAN WORDS WE NEED NEW RESTAURANTS CAR PARKS FREE STICKERS TO PARK ANY WHERE IN BOURNEMOUTH FOR RESIDENTS AS WE PAY ENOUGH ALREADY TO LIVE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!THANK YOULET THE SUN SHINE IN ENJOY ALL YOU DUDES SURFERS

TAZ
Nice im gonig surfing to daii but i want the reef done now

lawrence
With regards to the 'surfers arn't affluent people', generally you may be correct with younger generations. But think of the Londoners who have stacks of cash, waiting to spend it on high-adrenaline activities like surfing! Especially with the surf pods (high-tech beach huts fitted with wi-fi and all mod-cons)I really think affluent people will flock to Boscombe. Great asset to the south coast

LD
Sure tourism is a good thing for making money but the traffic is bad enough as it is and this will just make the town come to a standstill in the summer.Don't get me wrong I love the idea of having some better waves for all the surfers to have fun on but it could just end up polluting the area more.

Tommo
It'll never work!

Joanne, Boscombe
One of the comments is about a "tourist draw" that might bring "Affluent" people to town. No offence to surfers but the majority are not exactly affluent. The money could have been spent on much better things such as giving Boscombe a facelift. Then it might get more affluent tourists.

Jane
Looking forward to being there when its done. Hey, Council, what about designated areas along the beach for surfers (and kite), fishermen, swimmers etc. Then we will all be happy. Good luck with the venture

maggieH
I think it's great. Boscombe is badly in need of a tourist "draw" and this will bring young and,maybe, affluent people to the town.

mr crab
me and my family are looking forward to it.

Steven Diedericks
I hope to hell this works, im from South Africa stuck in London and cand do with escaping London every weekend for some waves. Not to far to drive. Please make this work

Maine Green
yeah good idea but shouldnt you be doing this in weymouth for the 2012 olimpics as it is basily impossiable to surf in portland harbor and weymouth bay

jbs bournemouth
i dont think its even gonna work as the one in new zealand doesnt work and made by the same company

Dean Jackson
Brilliant idea not only does it provide a regular surfable wave it will alsoimprove the appearance of the shoreline for those picture perfect holidays!Skegness next please!!

danny.g
it seems like bournmouth are tryin to be the next newquay BUT as for the reef well!!! where is the swell all that is going to happen is the waves will get pushed up and dump harder, now as all you surfers know in my home town NEWQUAY it is full of reefs and ofshore winds but if there aint much swell its flat. i cant see how the reef will work properly as we all know you need a hell of a wind to get any decent surf on the south coast. why dont they just invest the money n make a hostel or somethin to keep the kids off the streets.buy hey i mite be wrong!!!!good luck. i will be keepin an eye out

Emma
This will be a brilliant! its about time we got some good surf in the south

James sibley
The piers act as a reef in themselves, collecting sand around the pillers making the sea a more gradual slope out to sea, thus making the waves better to surf. This reef will deter surfers from surfing near to the piers as the reef should be even better still. Is the reef big enough?

Jamo Sib
Don't think its gonna affect the coastline in a bad way. Likely to take out the power of the surf before it breaks. Keep the surfers away form the pier fisherman. Its a win win sit! I'm a surfer and fisherman myself. Bloody fishing nets are a pain as there should be a 500m from the shore limit! Hope its finnished by 2009

SWEET
there are goin to be some cool waves

George
Gonna be beautiful

Anna
It will be great to have better surf in my area, but the site is going to be small and i reckon, especially in the summer, the crowds will be a nightmare. I'm sure i'll be avoiding it until the winter when the crowds subside.

iz johnston
i just kinda hope people realize that the reef won't create any more swell, it's impossible, it will only create breaking points for when there is a swell.so if theres no swell, theres still gonna be no waves!it will just make whats there, on the occaisional good day, a bit better and bigger!still, i think the reef should make huge improvements.we will just have to wait and see!!!

JULIE DAVEY
Great idea, good for the area and marine life alike.

fishyrob
Cant wait!! That reef should kick up a real cool surf. Bass just love a real cool surf. A big thanks to Boscombe council for creating a first class fishing venue!!

Miri
Can't wait!

Jon Huxley
This reef will draw the surfing fraternity to the area but more importantly will publicise Boscombe to the world! I remember something from Geography class about long shore drift and the displacement of energy so will the reef affect the beaches further down the coast? (I hope that Dr. Black has done his homework!)

Chris Lawrence
The reef is a good way to separate the surfer and fishing area. The fisherman will know not to fish near the reef. Surfers can have the relatively small area around the reef. Can't the fisherman use any other part of the 10 mile stretch of beach?

Justin
All the great surf reefs in the world work because they have good swell hitting them. I cant see how this reef is going to magic up swell in order to work? If it does then good on ya. As for the fishermen, they have miles and miles of coast line to fish from, so use it.

Mark D
What is it with fisherman? They are so obstructive to any sort of positive development, especially in another watersports field - kayaking. Try and kayak down a UK river, and see how many people have something to say about it. Do the same abroad, nobody bats an eyelid and everybody gets on and shares. Fisherman are lame!

John Leighton
Bournemouth Council are wasting millions on this. It will end up causing much damage along the coast, all for what? keeping contractors, developers and backhanders happy. Bournemouth Borough Council are ruining the area as it is with rabbit hutch flats and handing out licences to turn the whole town into a place of strip clubs and drunken violence. Now in their arrogance they will also ruin the coastline.

Dave Drayton
I cant believe that you dont think that people fish on that beach! It was bad enough when you guys used to come as close to the pier as poss just so you can look good to the people on the pier. Then you would have the cheek to cut any fishing line that you came across. Surely, you are able to share? The sea is a big place after all and just because you have a surfboard, that doesnt mean that you own it.

richard from southbourne
it will certainly breathe new life into the town as long as it keeps its character. i hope the council put illuminations on the front between the two piers again, that would be nice !

Alistair McLean
Boscombe seriously need this, hopefully it will bring in some nice clean people and push my flat value up!!

Ed
i think it's a good idea, but to be honest it is just a big bag of sand being chucked out in the sea, why is it so expencive and such hard work to organise?

Jean Bodecott
It certainly is a good money making idea that will benifit surfers, I'm just wondering how much it might increase the risk of flooding in bad weather?

Ned Kelly
Make it longer guys!

Johnny Crest
Littlehampton could do with this...the wild mouse is not enough !

Ross, Chicago IL
Just stumbled into this website.It is interesting way to visit other parts of the world through the internet and to read their citizens' opinions on issues that affect them locally.So here is my unsolicited opinion, As long as creating reef does not harm the environment, I am in support of it too.

Dave Allum
About bloody time, can't the Imax cinema be knocked down and used in the reef construction ?

Richard E. Thornborough
Its about time Boscombe got a serious make-over, hopefully other english beaches will follow suit. We should make the most of the resources we have instead of letting them rot.

sid winfield
the best thing for years it will make boscombe a better place.

mark law
this is fantastic news to boost boscombe and bournemouth , it is very much needed and will dramaticly boost house prices,it was funny to see fisherman suddenly start fishing in the area when they didnt before,muppets

peter lewis
About time too.Already a year has been wasted, not to mention loads of money listening to supposed fishermen who never fished there anyway.

Helen
Excellent ideaPlease don't forget about the parking, we have already lost the beach front car park to flats

nick
Surfs up

christopher jones
Sounds like a great idea and good for marine life Just make sure Greenpeace don`t hear about it.They want to ban everything

local beach lover
If the reef is successful in rejuvinating the boscombe area it can only be a good thing- it's a shame that such a beautiful area has been allowed to decline so much over the years.