The “dog bone” shape of the San Clemente reef is intended to produce waves. Photo: Moffett & Nichol
The shoreline of San Clemente, California is shrinking. In order to attempt to fix that, a report was presented to city officials that explores ways its beaches can be saved using nature-based solutions. As the Orange County Register reports, one of those proposed solutions was a man-made surf break.
The Nature Based Coastal Resiliency Project Feasibility Study started in 2022. It was carried out by consultant Moffett & Nichol, and aided by a $300,000 grant from the California Coastal Commission. The final findings were presented Tuesday night, and the City Council voted to submit the final report to the state Coastal Commission and to allow staff to pursue grant funding.
The final recommendation by the consultant was to create an “offshore multi-benefit emergent breakwater,” or an offshore reef, at North Beach. The concrete structure would be about 1,500 feet long and roughly 900 feet from shore. The reef would be built in five years, after building up the beach with sand first.
“You need something like that to do the job. Mother Ocean is a very energetic place; she won’t be trifled with,” said Webb of the reef’s size. “She would demolish something that’s smaller in footprint and not large enough to block the energy during these conditions.”
Crucially, for surfers, the shape of the reef would also be tailored to produce a surf break. The “dog bone” shape of the structure is intended to theoretically produce waves.
“Maybe there’s a new surf resource that gets introduced by this project,” said Chris Webb, a principal coastal scientist with Moffett & Nichol. “We’ve attempted to stay away from existing surf spots.”
