Britain’s artificial surf reef has sunk to new depths after it was declared unsafe and closed to the public.

The controversial £3.2million reef, the first of its kind in Europe, has been plagued by controversy since it opened off Bournemouth beach in Dorset, in 2009.

The underwater structure that was meant to have transformed the resort into a surfers’ paradise has hardly been used because it produces the wrong sort of wave.

Now it has been declared a no-go zone after a routine inspection found ‘substantial changes’ to the reef’s shape has started to produce dangerous under-currents.

It is thought the concern is that surfers could risk drowning by being sucked down into gaps that have appeared in the structure as a result of the changes.

The local council is now ‘erring on the side of caution’ and has closed the reef, which is 750ft out to sea off the Boscombe area of the resort.

It consists of 55 giant submerged sand-filled bags, which are believed to have been displaced and require repositioning.

A Bournemouth council spokesman said: ‘A routine inspection carried out on March 23 shows that substantial changes have altered the profile of the reef structure.

read more at dailymail.co.uk

On screen, Dick Van Dyke has been rescued from untimely death by flying cars and magical nannies. Off screen, the veteran star of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins had to rely on the help of a pod of porpoises after apparently dozing off aboard his surfboard. “I’m not kidding,” he said afterwards.

see video of interview (fast forward to 9 mins in)

Van Dyke’s ordeal began during an ill-fated trip to his local beach. “I woke up out of sight of land,” the 84-year-old actor told reporters. “I started paddling with the swells and I started seeing fins swimming around me and I thought ‘I’m dead!'”

Van Dyke was wrong. “They turned out to be porpoises,” he said. “And they pushed me all the way to shore.” The porpoises were unavailable for comment.

Van Dyke made his screen debut on the Phil Silvers Show before bagging his own TV sitcom in 1961. His film credits include Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dick Tracy, while his TV drama Diagnosis: Murder ran from 1993 to 2001. In recent years he has appeared on screen in Night at the Museum and its 2009 sequel.

read original at guardian.co.uk

Watch Live in a few hours (8am HI):

http://triplecrownofsurfing.com/choloshawaiianpro/live

Overhead waves at Haleiwa could well see the $900,000 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, kick off at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. The first jewel of the Crown is the men’s Reef Hawaiian Pro and the Cholo’s Women’s Pro, at Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park. The official website for the series is www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com.

Organizers will be looking for the present swell size to hold for a start tomorrow. Beyond that, the forecast for Haleiwa looks very good with an above-warning-level WNW swell expected to arrive some time Sunday and persist into the new week with reinforcements. The complete holding period for the Reef Hawaiian Pro & Cholo’s Women’s Pro is November 12 through 23.

While Saturday may be the smaller day of surf in the immediate window, the action continues on the beach with the crowning of World Miss Reef at 4 p.m. This event will feature 2010 Miss Reef winners from Panama, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Aregentina, Chile and the USA, and  will be broadcast live on the internet.

Live internet coverage happens every day this winter, starting at 7:45 a.m. with  “THE CALL” – the Triple Crown’s live daily morning show that features all the latest news, highlights and happenings. The series will also be broadcast live  on television around Hawaii on Oceanic Time Warner Digital Cable channels 250 and HD1250.

The free VANS LIVE app can now be downloaded for iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. The app features video highlights, photo galleries, results and live coverage from the North Shore of Oahu, via 3G or WiFi.

read more at triplecrownofsurfing.com