The potential impacts on the surfability of sandy beaches that may be caused by coastal engineering projects are discussed in this paper. The broad class of coastal engineering projects is used to represent a number of human interventions in the coastal system including beach nourishment and coastal structures such as groins, breakwaters, and submerged reefs. Design considerations, mitigation measures, and potential synergies between coastal protection and surf-improvement are also discussed. Methodologies are presented to include surfing considerations as a component in coastal engineering project design. In that respect, the suitability of analytical approaches - including dimensionless fall velocity classification of beach types, profile shape, and Iribarren number, etc. - and numerical modeling of coastal processes - such as waves, currents, sediment transport with morphological coupling - were evaluated and discussed. Mitigation measures to provide surfing enhancement identified included artificial surfing reefs and modified fill placement strategies. Mitigation measures should be proposed in conjunction with coastal engineering projects when negative impacts to surfing breaks are expected. With increased awareness, education and interaction between user groups, project designers and environmental agencies, potential conflicts between coastal engineering practices and the surfing community may be avoided through proactive coordination.
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