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Research: East Coast Surf Spots

7th International Surfing Reef Symposium

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Andrew Pitt: highlights

Contact

Surfing Ramps - coastal design & solutions

             'Reef Architect to assist you with beach nourishment campaigns and the re-use of dredge spoil for better surf and wider beaches'

              'For coastal managers and port authorities that are seeking to provide additional benefits for the community and want to save on total costs'

Beach nourishment campaigns add sand to swash or nearshore zones in response to shoreline erosion or realignment. Beach nourishment (or beach fill in the USA) is popular because it maintains the look and feel of a beach, supporting the inherent cultural, natural and commercial values associated with the beach.

Surfers ride surfboards, longboards, bodyboards, surf skis and SUPs. There are 5.3 million surfers spread across Australia, USA, NZ and Europe. Most surfing occurs at a beach and beach nourishment campaigns have a temporary impact on subaqueous beach topography, wave breaking patterns and ultimately, the quality of the surfing experience.

With Surfing Ramps input, your beach nourishment campaign will;

• provide better surf

• deliver a wider beach

• reduce on total costs

Surfing Ramps is a niche coastal consultancy to assist you in all stages of beach nourishment, from;

*) community consultation prior to sand nourishment campaigns

*) onsite and/or desktop assessment and appraisal of surf spot cluster (existing, rarely, almost), batho & geo, wind & wave climate, access and community

*) identifying options for spoil ground placement locations, every site is unique

*) design configuration of sand placement templates for better surf and wider beaches, every site is unique

*) organising computer modelling appraisal of placement template

*) organising surf cam installation

*) undertaking soundings, bathymetric studies and map production

*) advice during the dredge tender process

*) dissemination of information and media management during your sand nourishment campaign

*) monitoring and reporting during your sand nourishment campaign

*) reporting, post campaign appraisal

For more information, contact

Andrew Pitt (LandArch UNSW)   

Principal Reef Architect

Surfng Ramps

Mail: PO Box 120 ROSEBERY NSW 2018 Australia

Office: Suite 205/30-40 Harcourt Parade ROSEBERY

Home:  Boyce Road MAROUBRA NSW 2035

Ph:  0432 177 811     Fx: 02 8338 8213    Skype:  apitt2007

Em:  andrew@surfingramps.com.au    website:   www.surfingramps.com.au

BIO - Andrew Pitt - 100 word bio (pdf)

North Cronulla Slugfest!  Winter/spring 2012 - an overview of a beach nourishment campaign that created a wave focusing sand slug, with a field of peaks...(2pg pdf with diagram of sand placement template)

	'Beach Nourishment for Surfers and Wider Beaches' was presented by Andrew Pitt at the Australian coastal conference, Brisbane, 18-21 September 2012.  Includes a review of 6 case studies, at surf spots in the US, NZ, Australia and Netherlands - what works, what doesn't, 13pg pdf 1.3mb
	Ben Horvath surf reports on www.coastalwatch.com - plenty of peaks at Cronulla, in the lee of the dredged sand placement zone, especially in the weeks before the August 2012 storm events, the red Faucon dredge is at top left in Ben's photo.

Bathymetric Survey, Cronulla Andrew Pitt surveyed Cronulla Beach using a depth sounder + GPS and prepared a Bathymetric Survey Map (1pg pdf 286kb) that shows the underwater topography, from the shoreline out to depth of 11m.

Sutherland Shire Mayor Carol Provan, 'While this sand formation off the Prince Street sea wall will initially offer great surfing, surfers must be aware that the sand will eventually be washed ashore by prevailing weather conditions. So the benefit will eventually transfer to those who use the beaches. The dredged material is expected to provide better surfing conditions, wider beaches and help protect the sea wall.' See SSC Media Release 15 June 2012

Nearshore beach nourishment at Cronulla Beach, Sydney Australia, August 2012. The bottom-opening Faucon dredge placed sand spoil in waters -4m to -8m deep, to create an ephemeral bombora that acted as a wave focusing sand slug, resulting in wave amplification and wave refraction, with plenty of wave peaks inshore of the topographic feature. Set, peeling rights and lefts! (photo courtesy John Veage).