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Optimism at Boscombe surf reef’s opening day (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Optimism at Boscombe surf reef’s opening day
8:00am Tuesday 3rd November 2009
SURFERS gave an optimistic but cautious thumbs-up to Boscombe’s surf reef at yesterday’s official launch.
The years-delayed and overbudget reef has been criticised by some who believe it is in the wrong place.
One of our Flickr photographers captured the surfers in action on the reef yesterday
Click the link at the bottom of the story to see his images
The Daily Echo spoke to nine surfers, and their general view was it could produce steep, sharp waves in the right weather.
Dave Syms, of Boscombe, said: “I’m chuffed about it. I got a couple of pretty good rides.
“You can stand up but it takes commitment. It’s a very, very fast wave and it’s shallow, so someone could get hurt.”
James Peck, of Boscombe, said: “It’s good for body boarders. Surfers are split half-and-half. I think it will be a novelty attraction for a year or so then it will be back to the usual faces.”
Charlie Catling, from Southampton, said: “I would definitely come back for it.”
The waves broke too close to the beach for good surfing otherwise, he said. “On the reef you can catch a wave for a bit longer.”
The reef has been finished for weeks but the council delayed the launch until yesterday, saying it was “fantastic” surfing weather.
Surfers hoped the reef would prove itself over the winter. The steep waves were not to everyone’s taste.
During the two hours the Echo was there, the reef attracted up to 15 body boarders and the odd surfer. At the same time, 10-25 less-experienced surfers preferred the conventional waves around Boscombe Pier.
Ross Elliot, of Charminster, said: “The pier protects you from the wind. Because there’s no shelter by the reef, it’s just white water.”
Sam Rain, of Wallisdown, said: “I think the reef will bring a lot of business. But it’s a lot of money to spend on something in an area where there isn’t much swell.”
Kayak surfer Joel Crooks, of Boscombe, said: “I wouldn’t say it’s working well today. It gives a short, dumpy ride. It’s very good for body boarders.
“Most surfers, if it’s not working brilliantly, will stick to the pier.”
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Your Say YourEcho
[Chris], WWW says...
9:14am Tue 3 Nov 09
.
If the Council wants Boscombe to move forward, then a splash of a wave now on then on a few metres of shore line is not enough.
.
Anyway, when one looks at the Boscombe Spa Seafront project, one can instantly see it is not made for the local residents, but in hope of the rich who stupidly visit the town.
borednow, Christchurch says...
9:15am Tue 3 Nov 09
lovetheuk, poole says...
10:58am Tue 3 Nov 09
k/1/hi/england/dorse
t/8248360.stm
woolamai, christchurch says...
12:59pm Tue 3 Nov 09
Then compare it to the crumbling slow, fat and completely useless 9" closeouts that we have at the piers that you can see on the Bournmouth cam.
By my reckoning that's Sun and Tues the reef has had good or beter surf, Sat and Mon average, whilst the beach gets an average for Sun and completely pointless the rest of that period. That's better thatn the doubling of days promised.
swoop1, poole says...
1:01pm Tue 3 Nov 09
waves on beach 1-2 foot.
lovetheuk, poole says...
2:18pm Tue 3 Nov 09
swoop1, poole says...
2:40pm Tue 3 Nov 09
I can assure you the speed and power on the take off is very different . The webcams are very deceptive and the reef is some 350 metres further away.
woolamai, christchurch says...
2:43pm Tue 3 Nov 09
What really counts is how much of the wave face is close to vertical. The steeper the face the faster the board glides and the more challenging the wave is to surf - i.e. it's more fun. Once the wave face is vertical then yep size counts but I've never seen big waves here in the 11 years I've lived in the area.
The waves on the beaches never get vertical; and a fat, slow & pointless wave like you get at the piers is just that - however big it is. Good for beginners but nothing else. You can tell how rubbish the waves are around the piers by looking at the number of mals and mini-mals out there. People surf those sorts of boards because the planing surface of the board is so much bigger it compensates a bit for the fact that the wave has such little power.
The faces of the waves on the reef are vertical or beyond - and that's what's going to turn the local kids into competant surfers, and might just attract surfers to stop off here rather then spending another 3 or 4 hours and £40 in petrol to get elsewhere.
Bob49, Bournemouth says...
2:53pm Tue 3 Nov 09
You're having a laugh. Try looking at the gutters in Boscombe. heathcote Road has a mass of rotting leaves that have not been cleared in a month. In doubt the reef has brought any extra surfers nor any extra revenue. Given that the extra £1.8m overspend was to be covered by sales of the beach huts where is that money going to come from now, given that only 3 have been sold. Even a minimum of 30 at a minimum of £70k leaves a shortfall. Find a figure between that and the maximum of 40 at £90k and you will be looing at £2.5m missing. Add the projected rentals that failed and the taxpayers are going to be hit very, very hard by this fiasco. Any wonder they've stopped carrying out routine cleaning. Imagine what it will be like by January.
woolamai, christchurch says...
2:54pm Tue 3 Nov 09
I have no idea what most people are basing their comments on but it's certainly not a knowledge of surfing. I suspect some of them may not even have been to the beach, let alone paddled out there.
[Chris], WWW says...
3:11pm Tue 3 Nov 09
.
A bit like the other Council/Brown project at Slades Farm. A huge 280m in length Velodrome. A banked cycle track which has been said that it will be used to teach children to ride banks. On a banked cycle track. We already know it is for the sole use of the Bournemouth Cycling Club (Arrows). It also takes up the last piece of open space in the whole of the Ensbury Park and Columbia Road area. Watch out Redhill Common and Turbary Common.
.
woolamai, christchurch says...
3:26pm Tue 3 Nov 09
So you don't like cyclists either. I guess you are never going to be happy until kids in the areas have all retreated indoors to play with marbles and model train sets. That's the spirit that once made England the sporting joke of the world.
You need to get out more - Team GB lead the world in cycling, surfing is a massive particiapation sport from Thurso to Sennen, our swimmers are leading the world, the Olympics are coming here, England and Wales just won the Ashes - your times of non-participation and whinging are over.
England has moved on, you need to catch up.
swoop1, poole says...
4:01pm Tue 3 Nov 09
WWWChris please either go out and surf the reef or take my word for it the waves are very different and no other beach in the world , without a natural reef, or abnormal sandbars ,will have waves breaking like that. we are leading the way in something on our very doorstep or shoreline, try and embrace it.... a little !!?
bofors, bournemouth says...
4:02pm Tue 3 Nov 09
wrote:There will be still loads of open space,apart from all the football pitches which when not in use (3hrs a week maximum) will still be walked on,there is approx areas totalling the size of 4 pitches left,SEE THE PLANS,DONT LISTEN TO LIES.As for redhill and turbary why resort to scaremongering,it only makes you look foolish.
Looking at the webcams it is evident that the Bournemouth waves are somewhat bigger and more forceful than those at Boscombe, regardless of the distance to the reef. The biggest factor with the reef, besides being useless, is that it is a very small under water platform which will only provide a few metres (if ever successful) of wave. Therefore my question is this, what about the rest of the beach. Is the reef on supplied for the selected few.
.
A bit like the other Council/Brown project at Slades Farm. A huge 280m in length Velodrome. A banked cycle track which has been said that it will be used to teach children to ride banks. On a banked cycle track. We already know it is for the sole use of the Bournemouth Cycling Club (Arrows). It also takes up the last piece of open space in the whole of the Ensbury Park and Columbia Road area. Watch out Redhill Common and Turbary Common.
.
upyourpipe, Bearcross says...
5:46pm Tue 3 Nov 09
We all know that this highly expensive submerged sandcastle is a financil mess and who ever suggested it should be hung drawn and shot.
IT DONT WORK.
IT WONT WORK
AND IT NEVER WILL WORK.
So lets just forget about it and move on
artyboy1936, says...
6:23pm Tue 3 Nov 09
Was Charlie, says...
6:38pm Tue 3 Nov 09
bofors, bournemouth says...
8:11pm Tue 3 Nov 09
time nor Tide, bournemouth says...
6:36am Wed 4 Nov 09
youtube.c
om/watch?v=I32YYoH2I
g0&feature=related
Can someone confirm that the bournemouth reef modelling as shown in the tank test is how the reef is breaking now?
I have some difficulty relating that video to what is actually happening?
http://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=I32YYoH2I
g0&feature=related
the boogie boarders are having fun and thats good! But if the reef waves are not what are suppossed to be - when the reef be fixed?
[Chris], WWW says...
4:21pm Wed 4 Nov 09
bofors wrote:What do you know about it Bofors (or is it PW), same tactics. If Slades Farm can keep their one small open space that is not in use by sport, then it saves using the sports areas. I have the plans in front of me, and the new ones which you do not have. Why am I scare mongering Bofors, is it that you have an invested interest in Turbary Park. And how you demise from what I wrote, makes me look foolish is beyond me. Suggest you choose your words carefully please.......
wrote:There will be still loads of open space,apart from all the football pitches which when not in use (3hrs a week maximum) will still be walked on,there is approx areas totalling the size of 4 pitches left,SEE THE PLANS,DONT LISTEN TO LIES.As for redhill and turbary why resort to scaremongering,it only makes you look foolish.
Looking at the webcams it is evident that the Bournemouth waves are somewhat bigger and more forceful than those at Boscombe, regardless of the distance to the reef. The biggest factor with the reef, besides being useless, is that it is a very small under water platform which will only provide a few metres (if ever successful) of wave. Therefore my question is this, what about the rest of the beach. Is the reef on supplied for the selected few.
.
A bit like the other Council/Brown project at Slades Farm. A huge 280m in length Velodrome. A banked cycle track which has been said that it will be used to teach children to ride banks. On a banked cycle track. We already know it is for the sole use of the Bournemouth Cycling Club (Arrows). It also takes up the last piece of open space in the whole of the Ensbury Park and Columbia Road area. Watch out Redhill Common and Turbary Common.
.
.
As I was trying to say in my story above, there are similarities in both projects. Locations does not really matter, it is the fact that the projects are useless, which I might add you have agreed with all along.
.
Thats an INDEPENDENT view.
bofors, bournemouth says...
6:12pm Wed 4 Nov 09
doomedreef, Bournemouth says...
10:35am Sun 8 Nov 09
We've had a bit of publicity via the press albeit at a cost of £3m. So please please please don't spend any more money on it. And don't let the decision makers be involved with any more major money spending projects without consultation from someone who has some commonsense.
peter hurt, adelaide says...
10:24am Mon 9 Nov 09
reefskeptic, bournemouth says...
10:43am Mon 9 Nov 09
lovetheuk, poole says...
10:11pm Thu 12 Nov 09
GOOD TO GO: Roger Brown, leisure services director for Bournemouth council, cuts the ribbon to open the reef
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Glashen, Christchurch says...
8:59am Tue 3 Nov 09
The more positive the reports the more likely the whole scheme will be self financing and do what was intended, lift Boscombe out of the gutter and start the improvement that will reach the whole area.