Artificial surfing reefs are a variation of a long existing type of coastal structure known as a submerged breakwater.
If an offshore structure is specifically designed for both the improvement of a recreational resource (i.e. wave riding) and coastal protection or stabilization, it can be classified as a multi-purpose reef.
Artificial reefs have been developed for several centuries in Japan where fishermen noticed that around sunken fishing vessels their catch increased.
As the vessels disintegrated, the fishermen started to deliberately place man-made (artificial) structures on the seabed to attract fish to catch.
[1] While not a structure in and of itself, the effort consisted of shifting boulders which caused the wave to break irregularly and at time dangerously over shallow rock.
The first structure built specifically for the improvement of surfing was the Cable Station Reef constructed in 1999 in Perth, Western Australia.
The Gold Coast Reef was built from large, sand-filled geotextile containers ('sandbags') which were dropped into position from a split hull barge.
In terms of its stated purpose as a coastal stabilization and sand retention structure, monitoring by the University of New South Wales Water Research Laboratory suggests that the reef has achieved its goal to produce a salient (wider beach) in the shadow of the structure.
In September 2000, construction began on another artificial reef, this time along Dockweiler Beach in Los Angeles, California.
The reef suffered through a series of snags in the construction process attributable to weather delays and equipment failure.
The reef which was originally suggested in the late 1990s suffered considerable delays before construction finally began in June 2008 by the New Zealand Company ASR Ltd and half was completed during the summer of that year.