The international company behind the proposed $4.9 billion cruise ship terminal and associated development adjacent to Wavebreak Island in the Broadwater says it can create an even better break for surfers at what is known as TOS (The Other Side) on South Stradbroke Island.
Sembawang of Singapore Global Project Underwriters’ President and CEO Ric Grosvenor , himself a surfer, says protecting TOS is an absolute priority.
Mr Grosvenor earlier this week issued an invitation to twice world surfing champion Mick Fanning to be involved in planned dredging of the Gold Coast Seaway to ensure that the banks that create the highly popular TOS break are not impacted.
“ We have gone one better, our engineers Arup have looked at the profile of the ocean floor at the Seaway and South Stradbroke and they understand totally how the wave is formed and they say that we can improve the bank and create an even more consistent and better formed wave, ” he said.
“I’ll call it the Wavebreak Wave that TOS can bank on.”
Arup Engineers Principal and Maritime Leader Australasia, Gary Lucas, who designed the Gold Coast Seaway and the associated Wavebreak Island said through the process of ongoing dredging that will need to be done to keep navigation channels open for cruise ships sand can be directed onto the banks that create the TOS break.
“Our hydrodynamic models will predict the changes to the general contours resulting from the project, ” he said.
“ Modeling will then be used to improve the banks and the wave by using sand harvested in the construction and maintenance of the navigation channels and pumped directly onto the TOS banks.
“Members of our Wavebreak engineering team are surfers who regularly surf at TOS and we understand totally how the break is formed.
“We scientifically understand what is happening and we can replicate and improve the wave forming contours.”
Mr Grosvenor said the surfing community should become involved in the planning phase of the dredging and he gave a commitment that Sembawang would improve the TOS break not damage it.
“ If Mick (Fanning) and other high profile guys who understand the way the ocean and waves work want to get involved I’d be very excited ,” he said. “ We will work with them to make TOS one of the most talked about beachbreaks in the world.”
[mappress]
Press Release, September 21, 2012