Tour Gold Coast Beaches

The Gold Coast has more than 70km of fantastic beaches, and Surfers Paradise is home to the 'best beach in the world', according to one American travel network. That title is probably a little over-enthusiastic (there are plenty of better beaches on the Gold Coast, let alone the rest of the planet), but it's a phrase all the local tourist bodies love to throw around and it sounds good.

Getting to a Gold Coast beach is pretty easy - head east and you'll get wet - keep heading east and you'll end up in Chile. There's a lot of ocean on the Gold Coast coastline and there's not much between South America and the shore, so it can get pretty rough, especially in Cyclone season. Luckily professional lifeguards patrol the main beaches all year round, and during the summer months the coverage is increased by volunteer surf lifesavers.

There is one golden rule everyone should follow when swimming on Gold Coast beaches (in the water that is): SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS. Every morning the lifesavers check out the conditions and put up a couple of flags in the safest spot for people to swim (which is, coincidentally, usually right in front of the clubhouse). If you stay in between the flags you'll be in the safest spot on that particular section of the beach and you'll be under the watchful eye of a Gold Coast lifesaver - Gold Coast lifesavers are the best in the world.

The only exception to swimming between the flags is if you have a surfboard - surfboards are not allowed between the flags because they have pointy bits at both ends which fit nicely into human eye sockets.

Quick Links on this page

Safety Advice from the lifesavers
Our picks for the best beaches on the Coast
Are there Sharks?
Dangers of Gold Coast beaches
Links

Advice from Surf Life Saving Queensland (SLSQ)

Surf Life Saving Queensland offers the following advice for Gold Coast beaches:

To stay safe at the beach remember FLAGS!

Find the flags and swim between them
The flags represent the area patrolled by lifesavers and lifeguards. They mark the safest place to swim at the beach.
Look at the safety signs
The safety signs help you identify potential dangers and daily conditions at the beach. These are located at beach access points and at the flagged areas. Please read them carefully before entering the water.
Ask a lifesaver for some good advice
Surf conditions can change quickly (water depth, currents, wave size and type). Talk to a lifesaver or lifeguard before entering the water.
Get a friend to swim with you
Always swim with a friend so you can look out for each other's safety and get help if needed. Children should be supervised by an adult.
Stick your hand up for help
If you get into trouble in the water, stay calm. Raise your arm to signal for help, float and wait for assistance. Float with a current or rip. Don't try and swim against it.

To stay safe on the beaches, never:

Swim at unpatrolled beaches
Swim at night
Swim under the influence of alcohol or drugs
Run and dive into the water
Swim directly after a meal.

If we can't see you, we can't save you. Please swim between the flags.

For further information please contact Surf Life Saving Queensland on (07) 3846 8000 www.lifesaving.com.au

The best Gold Coast beaches

We think the best Gold Coast beaches are as follows:

Best family beaches

Budds beach on the river side of Surfers Paradise
Rainbow Bay/Greenmount in Coolangatta
Currumbin Estuary
The Broadwater (inside the shark nets)

Best Surf Beaches

Point Breaks
These are often quite crowded and can be 'locals' only. Currumbin Alley is a good spot for out of town surfers

Snapper Rocks: Snapper used to be a very slow wave suitable for beginners. Now with the Tweed river sand bypass (which dumps sand on the point and allows the currents and waves to shape a massive sand bank known as the 'superbank'), Snapper has the world's longest waves and when conditions are right, you can surf for up to 1.5km. Snapper is very territorial and very crowded, so much so, that fights regularly break out when surfing etiquette isn't adhered to. A number people have been beaten up in the carpark after they've 'dropped in'. Snapper Rocks is also home to the annual Quiksilver Pro (the first event on the Association of surfing professionals world tour) and has become one of the most popular events on the world surfing circuit. The event was all set to go in March this year when a series of near-cyclonic storms wreaked havoc on the Gold Coast - at the start of the competition the waves were too big to be surfable so the event had to be postponed, when the storm had settled, the waves had washed the sandbank away and the waves had virtually disappeared, so the event then had to be moved around the point to Duranbah. Once the sand starts pumping again the waves should return to normal. One EPA scientist said the bank should be back in action by Winter, depending on the weather.
Duranbah: Heavy swells, usually crowded works, well with a westerly wind. A favourite among body boarders
Kirra: Great wave shape, fast and sharp. Can be crowded. Works well with Southerly and SE winds
Currumbin Alley: Great for Mals and Waveskis. Works well with SE winds
Burleigh Heads: Great barrels at times. Good with most winds except northerlies.
South Stradbroke (Just past the seaway): Paddle across the seaway - watch out for boats. Clamber across the rocks. Often has nice waves without the crowds. Look out for sharks and boats and the seaway.

Beach Breaks

There are some great beach breaks all along the coast. Pick spots include The Spit, Main Beach, Narrowneck, Palm Beach and Mermaid beach. At times these can carry some awesome waves especially when there are cyclones about. For the rest of the time they offer reasonable waves without the crowds that are usually at the point breaks. It's a Boogie Boarder's paradise but get in early before the wind gets up. Kite surfing is big at Narrowneck.

Best looking beaches

Rainbow Bay/Greenmount
Burleigh Heads
The Spit

Are there sharks?

Well, in a nutshell, yes. But you're more likely to be attacked by lightning than a shark. A Shark Control Program run by the Queensland Government manages a range of nets, bait hooks and other preventative measures designed to keep sharks away from people swimming at the beach. There hasn't been a fatal shark attack in the waters off the Gold Coast since 1964 and only three other confirmed non-fatal shark attacks (ranging from small bites to decent wounds) have been recorded. Even shark sightings are rare on the open beach, with only one or two large sharks even being seen by average beach goers each year and if a shark is spotted (either by life guards or aerial surveillance), swimmers are quickly warned.

However, while your chances of meeting a shark in the ocean are slim, if you enter the water in the canal estates and salt water estuaries situated away from the ocean, you're in much more dangerous territory. Since 2002 there have been two fatal shark attacks in canals and lakes and local newspapers regularly run stories about the waterways are teeming with aggressive bull sharks.

If you want to swim, go to the beach, don't jump in a lake, and never paddle in the canals, especially at dawn or dusk when sharks are hunting. It's also advisable to not swim anywhere at night. For statistical information on shark attacks on the Gold Coast, visit our Gold Coast Shark Attacks page.

What other dangers are there on Gold Coast Beaches?

Sunburn - wear lots of sunscreen
Strong currents during nasty weather - swim between the flags and you should be fine though
Dangerous surf - but the beaches are generally closed if it gets too bad
Overcrowding - it can get pretty crowded during the summer holiday season, but people are mostly nice - there are generally no nasties like needles or broken glass. If you don't like crowds try the spit.
Blue Bottles - every now and then blue bottle jelly fish hang out on the Gold Coast, they don't tickle, but they won't kill you.

Links

Click here to take our Gold Coast Beaches virtual picture tour