Artificial Reef

Artificial surfing reefs
Artificial surfing reefs have been created for surfing, coastal protection, habitat enhancement and coastal research. The world's first attempt was made in El Segundo, near Los Angeles, in California. The next attempt was at Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia. This reef was constructed of large granite rocks placed in a pyramidal shape to form an appropriate breaking wave form that would suit surfers. An artificial reef constructed of over 400 massive, geotextile bags (each one larger than a bus) filled with sand was constructed in 2000 at Narrowneck on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia. This artificial reef had two objectives: stabilizing beach nourishment and improving surfing conditions.
Artificial surfing reefs typically resemble a "submerged breakwater", and proponents suggest additional benefits beyond surfing conditions. Many coastlines are subject to powerful waves that crash directly onshore. An artificial reef situated 150-300 yards offshore might create surfing opportunities and, by dissipating wave energy, make swimming safer and reduce coastal erosion.
The USS Spiegel Grove was sunk in 2002 to make an artificial reef. In the United States, in particular, demanding coastal permit requirements and environmental opposition present major obstacles to building surfing reefs. As of February 2006, the only reef built in the U.S. specifically for surfing is southern California's "Pratte's Reef", which failed to create waves. Reefs built to enhance marine habitat face far less environmental opposition, in part because they are in much deeper water and further offshore. A number of such man-made reefs exist near Florida and Hawaii.