Space Coast Reef

A Multi-Purpose Artificial Reef

Design concept
Text Box: Naturally occurring submerged offshore reefs typically promote the development of wide sandy beaches in their lee. These beaches are less prone to severe erosion problems due to the protection provided by the reef. The beaches inside the barrier reefs of Tahiti are a classic example. The concept behind artificial submerged reefs is to mimic the results found in nature. Two multi-purpose artificial reefs have been built, one on the Gold Coast of Australia and one at Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. There are several more reefs in the design and construction phase, including one project sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Ventura County, California. The conceptual design of the Space Coast Multi-Purpose Artificial Reef is based on the surfing science and engineering developed by ASR Limited of New Zealand. Their research was featured in Special Issue Number 29 of the Journal of Coastal Research as well as numerous other technical journals and popular magazines including Surfer and Outside. The Space Coast Reef will reduce localized beach erosion via three methods: The submerged reef will dissipate the energy of the incoming waves before they reach the shoreline. The reef will rotate the waves through refraction, reducing their angle of incidence with the shoreline, which will reduce the longshore current. The reef will also promote the formation of a salient, which is a widening of the beach commonly caused by offshore submerged reefs. The Space Coast Reef will act as a marine ecosystem attracting a wide variety of plants, fish, and other marine organisms. The increased biodiversity around the reef will make it a popular destination for fishing and diving. The Space Coast Reef is designed to create right and left breaking waves which will be surfable approximately 200 days a year. The reef will yield rides greater than 30 seconds long and break with sufficient intensity to challenge surfers at all levels of ability. The Space Coast has a rich surfing tradition. What the Space Coast lacks are waves worthy of its reputation. The addition of a quality reef break would bolster Brevard County’s reputation as the surfing capital of the U.S. Atlantic Coast and help attract top level surfers and competitions to its beaches. Increased interest from the surfing industry would have a positive effect on the local economy and raise awareness of Brevard County as a surfing destination.

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