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Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:50 pm
by billie_morini
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... nsafe.html

Bournemouth artificial reef is closed for safety concerns after 2 years, 3.2M pounds (currency), voluminous controversy, and several surveys in this forum by lazy students and undisclosed reef representitives.

Good photos at link showing proposed underwater construction and as-built (structures are not submerged and break water surface)

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:14 am
by drowningbitbybit
Oh good grief... hilarious and depressing all at once!
All they had to do was ask someone with the remotest knowledge of surfing or the ocean, and they'd have told them this would happen... apparently the wretched company that built it doesn't have anyone like that on their staff.

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 7:55 am
by kitesurfer
LOL. Funny as fook, especially seeing as the news came out on 1st April. Its actually rather difficult to close of a section of the sea!

KS

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 7:55 am
by surf patrol
billie_morini wrote:several surveys in this forum by lazy students and undisclosed reef representitives

:lol:

So it's actually far worse than not working very well.

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 1:05 pm
by JoshAggars
Such a long and annoying process. It's been a joke from start to finish. At least Boscombe has improved and the reef gave the council faith to plow money in but at its heart the reef itself was ill concieved and badly built. The other week we were using it as a water slide. It's a big waste of money when it comes to that!

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 11:54 am
by Johno
why does it cos 3 mill to fill a load of sand bags and trow them in the sea!

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:04 pm
by PredationSA
Scouting for the right place to put it, hiring people to design it, getting people to place them in the ocean etc etc. Idk how it would get to 3mil but I guess it's just lots of things like that :P

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 1:56 pm
by kitesurfer
Johno wrote:why does it cos 3 mill to fill a load of sand bags and trow them in the sea!


They weren't filled with sand they were filled with moon rocks.

KS

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 6:54 am
by jaffa1949
I think the company who laid the reef has a great history of failures than successes. I think the business is now on the rocks! :wink:

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 3:26 pm
by JoshAggars
Money was divided like this:
£50K to build massive sand castle on Boscombe Beach and leave it there all winter
£100K to pump sand into sand bags from beach
£2,850,000 to draw up plans, go on a 'how to keep a straight face when selling BS plans to a gullible council' course and then swan off before anyone realises you were full of xxxxx.

Next up, selling sand to Saudi Princes

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Thu Apr 07, 2011 9:36 pm
by drowningbitbybit
JoshAggars wrote:Next up, selling sand to Saudi Princes


Now, I dont think thats fair. Saudi princes have definitely already got sand, while Bournemouth didn't have a reef. I mean, it was a terrible situation, previously you had to drive for at least a whole ten minutes - yes, 10 minutes - to find one of the best reefs on the south coast :bang:

Saudi princes, still got sand. Bournemouth, still hasn't got a reef. :wink:

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:40 pm
by esonscar
Let's just get a refund and give it to us surfers for emotional hardship over all these years of gleeful anticipation - end of.

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:13 am
by JoshAggars
Check out these shots I took a few weeks back of the reef in all its exposed sadness. It looks like a dead whale.
Image

People were just using it as a ski ramp given the low tide.
Image

This one shows the power of the moon (I am the moon). It was taken when that big lunar thingy happened. The tide went out for miles which never happens down there. Usually, even at low tide, it will still be lapping in past the end of the groins by some distance.
Image

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:00 pm
by kitesurfer
JoshAggars wrote:Check out these shots I took a few weeks back of the reef in all its exposed sadness. It looks like a dead whale.
Image



And to think the council paid divers to go and inspect it! :lol:

KS

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:30 am
by billie_morini
Josh,
Thanks so much for sharing your photos. Always valuable to get info from someone who has actually seen. Much better than relying solely on news agencies.
Billie

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:44 pm
by JoshAggars
No worries Billie. The day I was there a load of us paddled out to inspect it. Shame my camera isn't waterproof or would have got shots up close and personal. Looks pretty messed up.

Hope Santa Barbara surf is treating you better!

Cheers
Josh

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:47 am
by Roy Stewart
Johno wrote:why does it cos 3 mill to fill a load of sand bags and trow them in the sea!


In order to enable Kerry Black to buy up real estate at naturally occurring excellent point and reef breaks, and so that he can party all the time to attract new friends in coastal councils.

Re: Bournemouth Artifificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Sat Apr 16, 2011 2:40 pm
by JoshAggars
Roy_Stewart wrote:
Johno wrote:why does it cos 3 mill to fill a load of sand bags and trow them in the sea!


In order to enable Kerry Black to buy up real estate at naturally occurring excellent point and reef breaks, and so that he can party all the time to attract new friends in coastal councils.


Bingo!

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Thu Apr 21, 2011 9:41 pm
by esonscar
Is it a waterski jump now ? !

Re: Bournemouth Artificial Reef Closed!

PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 2:08 am
by Roy Stewart
The mount reef is still causing unusually dangerous rips and wrecking the surf at what was once a good surfbreak.