Snapper Rocks is the most crowded surf break in Australia, but there’s a good reason: it’s epic. Boasting one of the longest continuous breaks in the world, even on a “bad” day, it’s a challenge to find a better spot to bring out the board.
A small, rocky outcrop on the northern side of Point Danger, towards the southern end of Queensland’s Gold Coast, hides one of Queensland’s most revered beach locations. Snapper Rocks, a former fishing hotspot, is home to a remarkable collection of elements that gives it a surf break among the best in the world. Legend says a single, unbroken wave was once surfed for nearly two kilometres down the coast to Kirra – it may well be an urban myth, but with the right wind and wave conditions at the infamous Snapper Rocks break, anything is possible.
The conditions are the result of the Tweed River sand bypass system, a process that sees sand pumped from the mouth of the Tweed River towards the northern beaches to keep the river open for shipping. The excess sand has extended beaches from Snapper Rocks to Kirra creating a world-class sandbar surfbreak – the Superbank. The waves in this two-kilometre stretch are regarded as some of the longest, hollowest barrels in the world, attracting surfers from all corners of the globe. However, the downside of having a world-class break in the sunshine state is that, on a good day, surfers will be sharing the water with 200 others, leaving only minimal elbow room.
If you are more one to lay on the beach and watch others master the waves, the Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro World Surfing Championships are held here in March each year, bringing together the best in the industry to see who can best maser the Snapper breaks. Facilities are scarce – the beach boasts two barbeques and not a lot else – so come prepared. The sheer majesty of the waves and the determination of those who ride them is a spectacle worth seeing.
