Our Wave Maze Floating Breakwater
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 37° 48.626 W 122° 24.624
10S E 551898 N 4184946
This Historical Marker is one of a group mounted on the walls of a hallway at the upper level meeting rooms of Pier 39 on the San Francisco Embarcadero.
Waymark Code: WMJF8M
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 11/10/2013
Views: 10
Our Wave Maze Floating Breakwater
That mass of truck tires bobbing up and down at the end of Pier 39 acts as a floating breakwater for the marina. Called the "Wave Maze", the tires were designed to stop boat and wind driven waves coming from the north and east from entering the marina. The fixed breakwater to the west of Pier 39 effectively stops the powerful surge from the Golden Gate.
18,000 used truck tires were bolted together and stuffed with flotation material to form the floating breakwater. In other words, the tires, once an environmental hazard because of their eternal durability have been taken by Pier 39 and put to a constructive use. One might call it a prime example of American ingenuity. And except for one minor flaw, it would be.
The flaw? Well, if you must know, the flaw is that IT DOESN'T WORK!
Marine engineers claimed that the Wave Maze would never allow waves more than one foot high into the marina. Yet on days when strong winds come out of the northeast for a sustained period, the marina has been rocked with waves of six to seven feet. The only advantage the Wave Maze would serve on days like that is to create a quiet place for the fish to hide out.