Surfers nuts about extended groyne

by Tam Kennedy

April 21, 2008

FLOREAT BEACH surfers are stoked Cambridge council is considering two proposals to improve surfing conditions and reduce sand erosion.

One $2.3 million option includes extending Floreat groyne by 50 metres to boost wave numbers and reduce erosion, and allows for an additional groyne to be built further to the north.

That amount of dosh for a couple of extra waves may seem excessive, but Cambridge council and local surfers believe the benefit to locals and the environment is priceless.

David Halverson, 21, has been surfing off Perth’s coast since he was a grommet, and supports the groyne proposal. 

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in the water freezing my nuts off not getting any waves,” Mr Halverson said. “Extending the groyne will be a good thing for surfing as there will be more waves and as it’s not meant to have any impact on the environment, it’s a super good thing.”

Fellow waverider Dunovan Scallan believes any development of the groyne will help relieve the current overcrowding in the water.

“You come down and it’s hard enough finding a spare spot to put your towel down on the beach let alone getting a wave,” Mr Scallan said. “Young grommets learning to surf often get pushed out of the wave just ‘cause there are so many of us.

“It’s freaking frustrating.”

Due to the groyne’s relatively short length of 61 metres, there are only short periods with favourable surfing conditions, because the area north of the groyne fills in with sand under a north-westerly wind.

The report by MP Rogers and Associates consultants said extending the groyne would allow the sand to spread along it and improve surfing conditions. 

 “There are a number of parties that want this project to go ahead but we need to properly assess the proposal, look at the cost involved and determine if there are any negative consequences or any affect on the beach environment,” said Ross Bowman from Cambridge council.   “If all of that is given the all clear then I believe there is merit in the proposal.”

The Town of Cambridge has put forward $10,000 for a study examining the possible effects the groyne extension would have on the local coastline and waves. The report identified two options for extending Floreat groyne that would not harm the existing coastal environment.  

The cheaper of the two options is a straight extension of the existing groyne by 50 metres and costs $1.1 million. However, this option has a potential risk of increasing erosion in the area.

At the moment, there is a lack of shoreline modelling in the area around the groyne. Until the council approves funding for the modelling to be done, no conclusions on the two options will be made.