9:30am Friday 19th March 2010
By Jane Reader
SURFERS will be keeping a close eye on Boscombe’s artificial surf reef this weekend, when it could see its first competitive action.
Organisers of the first Sorted Surf Festival hope to hold the bodyboarding contest on the reef. The other four of the five events are expected to take place in the area of the pier and beach.
The two-day festival, which will include displays and demonstrations, has been billed as “the first surf contest at the newly completed artificial surf reef at Boscombe.”
Shaun Taylor, from Sorted, explained: “What we’ll put on at any particular place will depend on the conditions on the day. The reason we wanted a festiv-al was to get people into the area to see what a great place we have got here.
“This is as nice an area as any on the South Coast. I appreciate the reef hasn’t worked as well as was expected, However, it’s a brand new process, which is being monitored at the mome-nt. It will be great when it’s all done.”
Guest house owner and surfer Danny Chilcott said: “We are playing with nature and it’s difficult to get it right first time – it just needs a few alterations. At the moment it produces a steep wave, which is good for bodyboarding but not for surfing.”
Mr Chilcott, who runs the Ocean Breeze in Westby Road, Boscombe, said he hopes the changes will be made as soon as possible and added: “I have not had a single surf-related booking yet.”
There was anger earlier this month when Bournemouth council refused to reveal the contents of a verbal briefing from Plymouth University experts looking at whether the reef was working as planned.
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