This Deserves Consideration
Did anybody read the front page article in The Wave last week about local surfer Alexander Karinsky and his ideas about saving the beach? It was very well written by Katie McFadden. Mr. Karinsky has done his homework. He provided lots of ideas and real life examples of beaches around the world have successfully installed these manmade reefs. I highly recommend reading the article.
A few examples of how these reefs are better than jetties/groins are: The reefs are submerged off shore and therefore invisible. They force large waves such as during a storm surge to break way offshore thereby diminishing their energy well before they hit the beach. They would be a boon for fisherman as marine life would grow on the submerged reefs thereby drawing bait fish which would then draw game fish. The reefs would also cause the waves to run into an underwater wall and force them to break offshore. This would enable great rides for surfers and save the beach sand from the pounding and erosion.
Mark Anaya found a company online that makes these reefs. They have an office in Venice, California and are in the process of conducting a study about using these reefs as shoreline protection in Long Branch, New Jersey. They have put these reefs in Indonesia, New Zealand and The United Kingdom. In the eyes of this surfer, fisherman and beach lover this is a no-brainer. We deserve at least a study.