BOURNEMOUTH’S £3 million surf reef will remain open despite a report saying someone could drown.
In the wake of the independent survey coming to light yesterday, Bournemouth council said that the likelihood of injury was low.
Yesterday the Daily Echo reported details of the health and safety report commissioned by the council’s Surf Reef Task and Finish Group, which was made available to members of the group but not released to the general public.
The Echo has now seen the report, which highlights risks; the most serious being voids between the reef’s sand-filled bags.
It says “a surfer or swimmer could have a limb trapped between the bags as they are pushed along the reef by the wave action. This could result in entrapment and drowning, in the worst case scenario, or a broken limb”.
It adds that consultation with surfers should be carried out to find out if this area of the reef was used.
One surfer said: “This is a risk the council knew about, but surfers didn’t.”
Another, Chris Skone-Roberts, said that often many surfers chose not to use the reef, considering it dangerous.
“The only way you can get an idea of how dangerous it is, is by diving it, which is what’s now happened,” he added.
Tony Williams, council executive director for environment and economic services, said signs on site highlighted risks.
What the report said
The health and safety survey report, following an inspection by Commercial and Specialised Diving Ltd on September 1, found that:
• Some bags had deflated on the upper layer of the wave platform. This area of the reef is in shallow water, or even exposed, during the low tide periods.
These folds of material are potentially entrapment hazards or “snagging” hazards, which could potentially result in broken limbs. Risk level: medium.
• Detached strips of material lie on the surface of the reef ramp and on the surface of the reef wave platform. The wave platform area of the reef is in shallow water, or even exposed, during the low tide periods.
This material presents an entrapment and entanglement hazard. The weight and length of the material would make it difficult to remove a casualty in the event of entanglement. Risk level: high.
• The detached cover patch is on the surface of the reef wave platform. The wave platform area of the reef is in shallow water, or even exposed, during the low tide periods.
Lifting of the patch exposes a cross slit through which the inside of the bag can be felt. This opening present a possible entrapment hazard. Risk level: low.
• The build up of general debris within the reef represents a potential cutting hazard and, depending upon size, a potential entrapment hazard.
The fish storage crate was the largest item and was situated on the ramp section in approximately 3-4m of water.
Angling tackle was noted on the ramp section. There were no signs of any commercial fishing nets on the reef during the survey. Present risk level: low. Potential risk level: high.
• Rigging, most likely from the construction phase, appears at various locations on the reef. Where the bags appear to have deflated there is a length of floating rope.
Some of the rigging is at the sea bed and is not a risk to users except possibly divers but would be considered a very low risk.
The rigging between the bags and the rope represents a much higher risk of potential entrapment to other users. Risk level: high.
• As the voids are generally on the top layer of the wave platform, which is in shallow water on the low tide and vary in width touching in places, a surfer or swimmer could have a limb trapped between the bags as they are pushed along the reef by the wave action.
This could result in entrapment and drowning, in the worst case scenario, or a broken limb. Risk level: high. Recommended consultation with surfers to determine if this risk level is accurate as they may not surf on this area of the risk.
• Some of the gaps allow the lower layer of bags to be seen with some voiding between these. These voids in the lower layer however do not appear to be sufficiently large enough to allow penetration even by divers. Risk level: low.
“With the prominent availability of signage and the fact that there have been no reports to us of personal injury when using the reef, the likelihood of injury is low and therefore the reef would not be closed,” he said.
Mr Williams added that year-round RNLI lifeguarding was an “undeniably comprehensive safety measure”.
The council said it had taken action on all risks identified. Regarding the voids between the bags, it said it had brought in a “near miss” reporting process to monitor any incidents.
David Weight, who came up with the idea for the reef in the mid-1990s, said he suspected the main problem area was where builders ASR should now be carrying out more work.
The council’s cabinet will decide whether to release £77,500 to ASR to add bags to the base of the reef and to create a gentler slope. ASR has not yet indicated whether it would carry out this work.
“We’ve already had a lot of surfers on it and there’s not been a lot of problems. There needs to be a bit of a maintenance plan. What matters is whether it’s a manageable, foreseeable risk,” said Mr Weight.
Chris Jenson, from ASR, said: “The gaps on the bags are within the design tolerances set.
“Design tolerances are prepared with a range of factors in mind, including safety.”
He added that the RNLI considered the risks to be manageable.
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