Can Artificial Surf Reefs Actually Make Good Waves?

SURFER: Tell us about your background a little bit. How did you get into this field?

Simon Brandi Mortensen: I grew up in Denmark, and we surfed the North Sea coast just like the Brits and the Norwegians. It was very clear that I wasn’t going to make a living being a pro surfer, even though Quiksilver did sponsor me. So, I became a coastal engineer. I know how to do buildings and ports and all that kind of stuff. I focused my whole education on making it as surfing-related as possible. While I was getting my master’s degree at the University of Hawaii, I studied waves at Waimea Bay.

From my understanding, there’s been a number of artificial reefs attempted in the past, but not many have produced good waves. What’s the secret?

You need to make it from a material that use small enough building blocks, so that the wave can understand it. These geotextile bags, which were used previously, are the size of a school bus. You need to have a shape to mold the wave. Some of these bags bloody broke.

You designed the Palm Beach, Australia artificial reef. What was different with that one?

I used rocks. I knew that worked. They don’t sink in the sand. If you see from above, it looks like this big black carpet. You can’t even see the rocks, because the reef is so big, it just looks like this big, dark shadow. The reason why this worked is because we take into account the depth it needs to be, the angle is sculpted to meet the swell window, then there’s fine-tuning to make sure the barrel is makeable, it’s not a mushburger, all that stuff.

So, then some of the guys got inspired by Palm Beach and they did Albany. That uses the same principles. It’s a big rock sculpture, it’s got the focusing platform, it’s rotated towards the principle swell direction. It’s very similar. Then, the next one coming to the Americas, it will be the third in this family of artificial reef iterations.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at a spot, and thought: “If only there was a reef or a sandbar there, this would be a good wave.” Why aren’t they everywhere?

Risk. It comes down to who is responsible for it. Typically, it’s the council who approves these projects, but they need approval from coast guard or environmental protection agency. The issue is, when you build things in the ocean, there’s always a cost risk. The weather, mother nature, can be unpredictable. Then, there’s the safety risk. What if somebody gets hurt? There aren’t many councils out there who think, ‘I’m gonna make this for my city.’ But they are out there. It’s starting to bubble in Australia, and I think more will be coming.

What can you tell us about the new reef you’ve been working on?

There is a new reef that has been built somewhere in the Americas. It is the longest and, in my opinion, most high-performance artificial surf reef ever created. You will see barreling waves, steep pockets, and potential for aerials. This wave is so long, and it’s not just for experts. It has four sections. Down the line, it opens up, and the end section is designed for a beginner. It’s a gentle, soft section, and you’re not getting dragged over dry reef.

The new artificial surf reef, somewhere in the Americas, will be announced at the 2026 World Surfing Conservation Conference.