Gold Coast surf forecast

Surfing in Gold Coast

The southern Gold Coast is a run of right-hand sand-bottom points at the New South Wales border, with the coast here facing roughly east into the Coral and Tasman Seas. Snapper Rocks sits at the very southern tip and is the start of the Superbank, a sand-nourished bank that runs for nearly two kilometres through Rainbow Bay and Greenmount to Kirra. Burleigh Heads is a separate point further north.

These are swell-direction spots. Snapper is fairly exposed and usually has something, working best on east to south-east swell with south-east to south winds, and handles all tides. Kirra, a point and groyne break, wants a south-east swell with southerly offshores to produce its long, fast barrels, and is most often clean in winter. Burleigh likes a south to south-east swell with a light south-west wind and surfs on all tides.

Autumn and winter bring the most consistent clean conditions, while late summer can deliver cyclone swells that suit experienced surfers. The water is warm for much of the year.

None of these points is a learner wave when it is running. Expect fast, hollow sections, strong currents along the points, rocks at Burleigh and Kirra, and notoriously crowded lineups with strict pecking orders. Beginners are better served on the beaches between the points on small days. The breaks are close to Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta, so parking near Snapper and Kirra fills early.