There are currently hundreds of different
surf spots around the world sculpted by
this combination of natural forces and
artificial structures. A quick count puts
the number in New South Wales alone
at 30.
“There are only two artificial surf
breaks in Australia that were purposely
designed: Narrowneck and Cable
Stations,” adds Carley. “All other artificial
surf breaks in Australia are basically
happy accidents, and few people would
argue that many of these are much better
waves than the deliberate attempts.”
So what exactly are the magic
ingredients that make a happy accident?
“Most of the great artificial breaks
have an along-shore sand supply or
littoral drift that interacts with the
structure,” says Carley. In other words,
structures that help trap or shape a ready
supply of sand moving along the beach
are more likely to create those tapered
banks and wedges we love.
“Many sandy beaches will ultimately
try to make a closeout,” explains Carley
further. “This is because the sand will
move around so that the energy gradients
equalise... Structures may also reflect
waves and cause rips, which can make
waves more peaky or peel, rather than
close out.”
If sand pumping is involved, that’s
another essential variable to consider.
“By artificially pumping sand, you
(often) end up with more sand in a
location than nature would provide. This
can make the waves peak, barrel and peel.This excess sand would soon get washed
away and the sand bed would change, but
if the infeed continues at the right rate,
the joy can continue.”
The Durban basin in South Africa is
one such strip of joy. The regular dredging
of the Durban harbour mouth, along with
a series of piers built since the 1950s,
has created a handful of high-quality surf
spots that now sit shoulder to shoulder.
And nobody needs a refresher on what
happened to Snapper Rocks when the
state governments of New South Wales
and Queensland set up the sand pumping
bypass scheme at the rivermouth in 2001.
But as Newton said, for every action there
is an equal and opposite reaction.
“With sand movement, sometimes it
is about robbing Peter to pay Paul,” says
Carley. “There is some sweet spot for
excess sand – the Superbank has been
somewhat at the expense of old Kirra,
which now often has too much sand
compared with its glory days.”
While surfers embrace these happy
accidents when they occur, no exact
science exists as to what makes a great
artificial wave. Point in case: the cheeky
wedge at Sebastian Inlet’s First Peak that
nurtured Kelly Slater and other Floridian
world champs all but disappeared after
the pier’s concrete wall was slightly
altered in the early 2000s. Engineers
and surfers are still puzzling as to why
exactly the wave vanished. Then there’s
the sublime Bay of Plenty, where Shaun
Tomson honed his revolutionary tube-
riding skills, but is now a shadow of itsMaybe the greatest Happy Accident of them all. Big Groyne Kirra. Kelly Slater,
Steph Gilmore, Mick Fanning. Some of the greatest surfers in the world all have
one thing in common. Their favourite wave is Kirra.
PHOTO: SHIELD