A short history of the Shark Rock Pier:
In the mid 1980’s the City of Port Elizabeth commissioned Watermeyer Halcrow and Partners, a former entity to Watermeyer Prestedge Retief and Prestedge Retief Dresner Wijnberg, to conduct an investigation into beach erosion of the Southern Beaches. This led to the subsequent design of the proposed Shark Rock Pier and submerged groyne to contain the natural beaches sand loss and consequent exposure of underlying cobbles and bedrock at times.
As is normal in the business world Watermeyer Halcrow and Partners ‘morphed’ into an entity now know as PRDW which was formed in 1992 in Cape Town. PRDW provides services exclusively in the specialist areas of port and coastal engineering and has expanded to now have offices in Santiago – Chile, Perth – Australia, Seattle – USA and Vitória – Brazil. More recently PRDW were involved in the Investigations, Planning, Navigation Studies, Design and Construction Supervision of the Port of Nqura.
The sand erosion problem was most noticeable in the summer months with the strong South Easterly winds causing all the sand to be washed off the beaches.
During the mid 1980’s three of the main recreational beaches in Port Elizabeth consisted of small pocket beaches on an otherwise rocky section of shoreline. The detailed study of the problem led to the conclusion that the small pocket beaches could be substantially improved by extending the headlands adjacent to each of these beaches artificially. The conceptual solution to the problem was to effectively raise the elevation and extend the length of the submerged reef on the northern boundary of Hobie Beach so that a greater volume of sediment could be stored in the pocket. This was achieved by providing a submerged groyne.
The 136* metre long pier, which was designed for construction by incremental launching, facilitated construction access, and provides access for barrier elevation adjustment and as a public promenade. The groyne comprises precast concrete panels between the column bases of the pier. The height of this barrier can be adjusted by adding or removing units from the barrier through slots in the deck. This permitted control of the rate of beach build-up during construction and minimisation of impact on the down-drift coastline. In this way the final design beach profile could be trimmed to obtain an optimum balance between sufficient sand build-up on the beach and control of wind-blown sand on the dry back beach.
Computer modeling of the 136m long reinforced post stressed concrete Shark Rock Pier was done by Stepehen Taylor, Principal Engineer who was then appointed Full time Resident Engineer for the construction thereof.
Construction started in 1988, took 17 months and was completed in 1990. The groyne has functioned well, and largely accreted as predicted.
The idea behind building Shark Rock Pier was to promote tourism by creating a pier for the public to walk along which would give a scenic view of the city. At night time the view of the city and the sea is spectacular.
The Red Windmill has always been a well-known spot on the beachfront, situated where the Shark Rock Pier now is. Originally there was a drive-in roadhouse where one could enjoy a hamburger and chips, sitting in the car next to the sea. Unfortunately the building became so old and rotten that both it and the Red Windmill were demolished in 1992. The new Red Windmill was built in the same year to promote tourism.
Snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts now explore the many small reefs scattered just a short swim from the pier which makes for an enjoyable shore entry. Yellow-bellied rock cod, rays, sandsharks and catfish have been spotted amongst the large sea fans and corals on these pockets of reef. With an average depth of 4 metres around structure it makes for safe diving for those who have had professional training.
Shark Rock Pier is on the Northern limits of Hobie Beach – as it is popularly know. The official name of this beach is Shark Rock Beach and only picked up the name Hobie Beach in the 1970’s when Hobie Cat sailing became very popular and this was the beach that they launched from.
Shark Rock got it’s name from the Shark River that empties into the sea at Humewood Beach after meandering down from above the old Boet Erasmus Stadium. Some people say that the Shark River was originally named the Sark River by the Dutch.
The construction of a walkway in the mid 1970’s all along the beachfront to the surfer spot, Pipe, was the start of the troubles for these beaches. The walkway destroyed the natural movement of the small sand dunes that replenished the sand on the beaches and the municipality recommended that Shark Rock Beach become a boating and not a bathing beach. In typical knee jerk fashion the Municipality then decided to try and create a breakwater/groyne using concrete blocks which were eventually removed.
Eventually specialist engineers were appointed and the building of Shark Rock Pier, walkways and the car park commenced.
* Most online references quote the length of the Shark Rock Pier as 137 metres long, the 136 meters is the length quoted by the engineers and one would be inclined to trust the engineers rather, bless their cotton socks!
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