World’s best artificial surfing reef to be “detuned” following spate of injuries

The Vulnerable Learner Surfer strikes again!

In the pretty, if isolated, Western Australian town of Albany is a thirteen million dollar artificial reef that has transformed an otherwise very ordinary wave into a legit drainer. 

Middleton Beach, four clicks from the main part of town, a five minute drive if you got wheels, was one of those joints you’d roll up to and think, damn, if only it had banks: clear blue water, white sand beach, real close to everything, but an endless line of straighthanders. 

Local surfer Peter Bolt, now sixty, spent three decades advocating for an artificial reef, formed a committee, raised money, created feasibility studies, petitions etc. 

The decisive breakthrough arrived in 2022, with federal parties committing $5 million each to push the reef project across the finish line.

Locals say the wave transformed Albany’ surf scene.

“It’s a bit more challenging than expected,” Peter Bolt told the state broadcaster. We were aiming for an intermediate wave, which it is when the swell is smaller. But as it gets bigger, it breaks out there and it’s fairly shallow. So it’s intermediate-to-advanced on most days.”

A win, yes? But for how long?

The joint might be detuned following a spate of injuries on beginner surfers who can’t handle its juice. 

Mayor Greg Stocks told the local press it was mostly “inexperienced surfers taking on quite elite waves. (The surf reef) does perform very well at different times, and the temptation to go there above your skill level is probably contributing to some of that,” he said.

“But having said that, surfers acknowledge that there’s risk, and all the surfing community that I’ve spoken to are delighted with the surf reef and accept that risk when they go there.

“If you don’t want to accept that risk, you can go and surf on the inside breaks which have formed, and you can get a very good experience out of the surf reef by surfing the inside breaks.”

Detuning will involve busting up a couple of the rocks in the shallower part of the wave, ie the good part, although the mayor reckons it won’t affect the joint, which don’t make sense, I think.