"Drummond's Reef" ran in the May 1971 issue of SURFER Magazine. The article reprints a single back-and-forth exchange of letters between longtime Southern California surfer Ron Drummond and Robert Malley, a representative for the Army Corps of Engineers, who were nearly finishest building Dana Point Harbor, which had destroyed a close to a half-dozen surf breaks, including Killer Dana—Drummond's favorite spot. Four years earlier, Drummond had led a failed effort to halt the harbor's construction. His goal now was to get the Corps to dump rocks just off nearby Doheney Beach in order to create or enhance the surf there.

In a short intro to the article, SURFER introduces Drummond, 63, as "the star of the episode," and calls the former track star and pro wrestler "bigger (and probably tougher) than John Wayne." The opening paragraph of Drummond's letter makes it clear that that letters between the two men had already been exchanged, and that an attempt was already made to direct the dumping off Doheny, with mixed results.

The article below has been slightly shortened and edited. A few notes have been added in brackets.


Robert J. Malley, Colonel, C.E.
District Engineer
Los Angeles District, Corps of Engineers
PO Box 2711, Los Angeles, CA 97753


Ronald B. Drummond
Drummond Enterprises
26202 East Via Serra
Capistraono Beach, California

It is a pleasure to make some comments as suggested in your letter of 14 October 1970. As you know, we had two strikes against us from the start. The material dumped 

 appeared to me to be mostly slushy mud and sand, and what “hard” material there was consisted of soft blue shale and sandstone. You will recall that it was decided to dump the barges far out so this soft material wouldn’t be washed up on the white sand beach. And even if large solid blocks of Catalina Island quarry rock had been used, with no money allotted to this project, and consequently no special shallow-draft barges available, it would have been impossible to drop rock either in very shallow water near the beach or even in the deeper, but still too shallow, water among natural rocks on the inland side of the disposal area, roughly 3,000 feet from shore. I believe it was a mistake to dump so much material in this very large disposal area which was not really designed to form good waves. I believe, further, that if the material had all been dumped on the spine from the very start 

[unclear what "the spine" refers to, but likely a high point on the naturally-occurring reef]

, it would have formed really good waves for surfing. No record was kept of where each barge load was dumped at various places in the disposal area. But the bargemen estimated that each load of this slushy material would raise the level of the bottom on an average of about two feet, so you can see that when it was dumped over such a very large area, it had very little effect on the waves. However, before the spine idea came into effect, I believe enough material was dropped in that area so that when finally the bargemen concentrated on dropping all their loads in the spine area, there was already enough material there to raise the bottom sufficiently so that a definite swell pattern can be observed from the nearby cliff tops when the natural waves are larger than usual, and especially at low tide. The waves would break very frequently if the barges could have been dumped in the shoreward part of the disposal area.

It is sad to have to relate that the unprincipled vandalistic characteristics of some of our citizens have considerable bearing on the final results of the artificial reef. Vandals have torn down several of the target sights used by the bargemen to get their exact locations. 

[Unclear who Drummond is referring to: either Dana Point surfers unhappy about the harbor project or—see further below—local lobster fishermen.]

 I am inclined to think that the adverse psychological effect that this had on the bargemen may have been the reason why they started dumping straight out to sea from the harbor entrance. Apparently their attitude improved when you authorized dumping on the spine, and three sets of targets were built on the beach to locate the spine area, one of which was immediately destroyed by vandals. I asked the local Boy Scouts and other good citizens to watch by day, and I acted as night watchman, and no more targets were torn down. Incidentally, I think publicity should be given to the fact that our courts don’t impose stiff enough penalties. Mr. Prentiss, the barge captain, caught a young vandal deliberately breaking one of his flashing lights—“Just to see what makes it work.” Prentiss told him, “You know I can have you arrested for this.” The vandal indifferently shrugged his shoulders and said. “So what?” When Prentiss told him it was a Federal offense and the penalty would be much more severe, it made him look really worried.

An attempt was made to dump in the rocky shoreward side of the disposal area, and soundings were made with a fathometer to locate the dangerous shallow rocks, and I went to considerable effort to obtain sufficient line and 14 markers to anchor at the danger spots. These markers were placed and all went well for about three days when suddenly every marker disappeared. I didn’t know that there was a feud going on between the bargemen and the local lobster fishermen who accused the bargemen of robbing their lobster pots at night. The bargemen, of course, accused the lobster fishermen of cutting all their markers loose. I know most of the lobster fishermen and had a talk with them, and they assured me they wouldn’t do such a thing! So, I spent another full day and much effort getting over 500 feet of stronger and buoyant synthetic rope and 14 foam floats and splicing the rope to the floats and putting special weights seven feet from the surface floats to make the uppermost seven feet of the line hang vertically so the propellers of the lobster boats wouldn’t cut them. About the time the bargemen were ready to use these markers, the tug hit shallow rock in the harbor, and I think the $30,000 repair job made the bargemen lose interest in trying to dump near the shallow rocks, and they never did use the last set of markers, but did their dumping farther from shore in deeper water.

Incidentally, I was told by the bargemen that shallow draft smaller barges are available which could work in very shallow water. They can pull themselves out into deeper water with an anchored line in case of emergency. This should be kept in mind for future artificial surfing reefs.

Now on the more optimistic side: apparently considerable material was dumped in the corner of the disposal area which is farthest up the coast and out to sea. I had noticed previously when the swell was up that the waves were much larger in this area, and steep enough to catch in a kayak, but I had never seen a wave actually break there. When I was told that only one more barge load of solid rock would be dumped, I figured it wasn’t enough to make any noticeable difference if dumped on the spine, but it would make a difference if dumped at this spot I am describing here, where the swells got larger. Consequently, I got right over the exact spot in my canoe and took the liberty to direct the bargemen to dump there. It was the thrill of a lifetime to see the next large set of waves break at this exact spot where no waves had ever broken before. If the rocks will just stay where they were dropped, it means that Southern California surfers will again have a big surf similar to the surf that broke on rare occasions in Dana Cove before the harbor breakwater was built. The Corps of Engineers' Dana Point Harbor report gave the height of those waves as 25 feet at times, and when they were running, surfers came from all over Southern California. I think it is very likely that this new spot is sufficiently deep so that when large waves are running, there will be a sufficient volume of deflected water to form a similar huge rideable peak.

Since for several years there has been no surfing area in Southern California where large waves occasionally break, the surfers have adapted to their environment and are riding small waves on shortboards especially designed for quick maneuverability. If the material that has been dumped on this new reef doesn’t wash away, I believe it will open up a whole new trend in beach recreation. Once again the longboards used for catching huge, gradually sloping waves will be used. Some parts of the wave will offer an exciting curl, whereas catamarans and long Hawaiian outrigger surfing canoes will be able to also ride the huge waves, but at a safe distance from the curl if they don’t like to live dangerously, and they won’t have to worry about getting caught in the white water because the sharp swells will die out before they reach the beach. Meanwhile, they will have the fun of sliding down on a huge peak.

Since the dumping has ceased, I have also caught nice medium-sized waves a little further in. Also noted: the waves were breaking almost all the time I was out there, about six feet high, farther down the coast and opposite the office of the Swallows Motel. The big break is in line with the end of the west breakwater and the steep end of the cliff on the west side of what used to be Dana Cove, and it is straight out from what used to be the Greyhound bus station.

Your ecologist, Larry Lisle, called on me last Friday, November 27th, and said the Engineers are interested in flying over the reef at low tide. The water is almost always too murky to see the bottom, and you can see the wave formations from the top of the cliff above the Swallows Motel.

I don’t know if we have just had big waves oftener than usual or if we can expect normally to have waves often on the reef, but we have had several good days of breaking waves since the work on the reef ceased. Yesterday, while it was rainy and stormy, the wave patterns were quite distinct.

You impressed me as being very much of an all-around man—of good physique, and your parachutist insignia indicated courage. Perhaps you would like to ride some of these waves in a canoe with me when conditions are right and you can get away from your executive responsibilities? I am sure you would find it quite exciting, and it would be a pleasure for me to have you aboard. I’ll enclose a color photo of the canoe on about a 15-foot wave at Dana Cove. Larger waves are more exciting.

Well, this letter gives you my impression of the reef as it is now. Perhaps sometime, if some more solid large rocks are available, the spine can really be built properly and “wings” can be built leading at an angle toward each side of the spine which should form good waves oftener and at times form really huge peaks and create a long ride past the wings.

Thank you very much for the thoughtful report on the artificial surfing reef at Doheny and your invitation for me to join you surfing in your canoe.

I am asking my staff to analyze your comments and to decide where we go from here in a deliberate program to enhance surfing in Southern California. I am most encouraged that good was done in one area and thank you for your personal intervention which caused it. I appreciate also all you did in replacing markers and, in general, assisting in the work. I am most hopeful that this experiment will provide the springboard from which we can plan permanent surfing reefs in future coastal projects.

I would be greatly pleased to join you surfing whenever we can arrange an afternoon together. I will be relatively free during the week preceding and the week following Christmas should the waves and weather be suitable. I am looking forward to a thrilling afternoon.

Thank you again for your comments and all you have done.

Robert J. Malley, Colonel, CE, District Engineer

There is no evidence that the Doheney/Dana Point artificial reef project went any further. It is also unclear if the post-dump surf improvement that Drummond talks about was actually the result of the work of the Corps, or just a fluke swell, or possibly in Drummond's imagination. It is also possible that any wave-quality gains Drummond noticed could have been temporary, as the added rocks settled into the seabed.

Drummond continued surfing into his 80s and died in 1996, at age 89.

Robert Malley was a West Point graduate. He did three tours in Vietnam, was twice recognized as the Army's Engineer of the Year, and was a physics instructor at West Point. He died in 1994 at age 71.

"DRUMMOND'S REEF": THE CANOEIST AND THE COLONEL AND THE ODD BEGINNINGS OF DESIGNER WAVES

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