The Life and Death of North America's First Man-Made Surfing Reef

This paper reviews the history of North America's first man-made surfing reef with the intent of informing the planning, implementation, and removal of man-made structures in the nearshore zone. The most positive outcome of the project was the recognition by regulatory agencies that natural surf breaks represent finite recreational resources worthy of preservation or, if necessary, mitigation. Conversely, the failure of Pratte's Reef to produce a sustained improvement in surf quality highlights the fact that nearshore reef structures are in the early stages of development. Until a substantial body of experience is acquired, they should be considered experimental and prone to unintended outcomes. A key lesson learned from Pratte's Reef relates to the difficulty and cost of removing geotextile containers from the nearshore environment. While geotextiles can be recovered with relative ease if they are located within reach of conventional earth-moving equipment operated from shore, the removal process is time-consuming, costly, and incomplete if the containers lie offshore. The result, in the case of Pratte's Reef, was a removal cost that matched the installation cost.