If you want to see some top surfing this week Snapper Rocks is where you need to be. So pull off those surfboard covers, slap on the sunscreen and get out there  . 

Top surfers from around the world are currently competing in the Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro at

Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast. This is the first competition each year in the World Surf

League Championship Tour and where better to hold the event than this world class point

break in Queensland, Australia. And with the sand so close to the action, spectators can get

a great view of the action. The water is warm, the weather is perfect, the only thing missing

is the swell. Organizers of this event have been forced to put the competition on hold for two

days running while surfers and spectators from around the world wait for the swell to arrive.

Opening heats this year saw some of the big names in surfing take a dive including 6 time

world champion Stephanie Gilmore, 3 time world champion Mick Fanning, and 11 time

world champion Kelly Slater. These wipeouts have opened the door for the rookies and

wildcards to show what they are made of in the next round tipped to start later this week.

Gold Coast locals were treated to a display of solidarity by the Brazilian surfing supporters.

The colours of green and gold (as worn by the Brazilian soccer team) were abundant in the

crowd as cheers for the current world champion (Medina) were heard along the shore. Fans

waved flags chanted the surfer’s name as he walked up the beach, setting the bar for

supporters of the Australian surfers.

The Surf at “Snapper”

Locally referred to as “Snapper”, this famous point break over a sandy bottom is at the

southern end of Rainbow Bay on the Gold Coast and forms the first part of what is known as

“The Superbank”. In 1995 the local council started pumping sand from the mouth of the

Tweed River to ensure the entrance to the river was safe for boats. The sand is pumped to

the beaches north of the river and also stabilizes coastal erosion. Most of the sand settled on

a handful of beaches to the north, linking Snapper Rocks, Rainbow Bay, Greenmount and

Kirra into one long and wide stretch of sand, and accidentally producing the Superbank.

The Superbank is therefore a man-made surf break and the beaches have been extended

up to 200 metres seawards creating this world renowned sandbar surf break. The bank

extends 2 kilometers to Kirra Beach in the north and the quality of waves is legendary. In fact

there is even a website called (snapperrocks.com) dedicated to this awesome break. There

have been rides of over 1.5 kilometres on one wave. The length of the ride and the changes

in wave form in a single wave can produce multiple barrels at any point making these waves

ideal for competition surfing.

When the swell is up there are hundreds of surfers competing for waves along The

Superbank and rather than being an enjoyable sport the surfing scene can become

aggressive. Most locals obey the unwritten rules of surfing, avoiding drop-ins and giving

room to the professionals. However greed for waves has corrupted the surfing experience

for many riders travelling to this once quiet “surfer’s paradise”, with hostility leading to

assault with charges being laid in some instances.

Putting the crowds aside, just one long wave caught at Snapper will give you a ride you’ll

never forget. When the swell and wind combine, the waves at Snapper Rocks will be sure to

give you the ride of your life.