Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks
Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia
Sports: Surfing, Tow foiling
Best time to go: February–May
Snapper Rocks sits at the southern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland, just north of the New South Wales border. Sand pumped across the Tweed River mouth builds a long sandbank, known as the Superbank, which runs from Snapper past Rainbow Bay and Greenmount towards Kirra. Easterly to south-easterly swells, including those from tropical cyclones in late summer, wrap around the rocky headland and peel down the bank as a fast, hollow right-hand wave. Southerly and south-westerly winds blow offshore or side-offshore.
The bottom is mostly sand, with rocks at the take-off near the point. A strong current runs down the point on bigger swells, and many surfers jump off the rocks and let it carry them, then walk back up the beach. The wave quality varies with how much sand is on the bank. The line-up is famously crowded, with professionals, locals and visitors competing for waves, so etiquette and patience matter. Intermediates can ride smaller days further down the bank; good days at the point suit experienced surfers.
Month by month at Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks
- January: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 25°C, air 27°C (nights 21°C), 27 sunny days, 21 rainy days
- February: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 26°C, air 27°C (nights 20°C), 24 sunny days, 17 rainy days
- March: 2 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 26°C, air 27°C (nights 20°C), 24 sunny days, 20 rainy days
- April: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.3 m, water 25°C, air 25°C (nights 17°C), 27 sunny days, 15 rainy days
- May: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.4 m, water 23°C, air 22°C (nights 15°C), 25 sunny days, 16 rainy days
- June: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 5 knots, waves 1 m, water 22°C, air 21°C (nights 11°C), 28 sunny days, 6 rainy days
- July: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 6 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 21°C, air 20°C (nights 11°C), 27 sunny days, 8 rainy days
- August: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 7 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 21°C, air 21°C (nights 12°C), 28 sunny days, 10 rainy days
- September: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 21°C, air 23°C (nights 14°C), 28 sunny days, 8 rainy days
- October: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.2 m, water 22°C, air 25°C (nights 16°C), 29 sunny days, 12 rainy days
- November: 0 windy days (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1 m, water 22°C, air 26°C (nights 18°C), 26 sunny days, 16 rainy days
- December: 1 windy day (15+ knots), average wind 8 knots, waves 1.1 m, water 24°C, air 27°C (nights 20°C), 28 sunny days, 15 rainy days
When is the best time to go surfing & tow foiling at Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks?
February–May, when the waves are biggest.
How warm is the water at Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks?
21°C to 26°C over the year: boardshorts, no wetsuit needed in the warmest month, a 3/2 full suit in the coolest.
How windy is Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks?
About 8 days a year with at least 2 hours of 15+ knots in the daytime, most in March.
Figures from 5 years of weather data (Open-Meteo).
Spots near Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks
- Burleigh Heads (12 km)
- Byron Bay – The Pass (53 km)
- Noosa – Noosa River (202 km)
More: All spots in Australia · Surfing in Australia · Tow foiling in Australia
Compare with: Burleigh Heads vs Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks · Byron Bay – The Pass vs Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks · Gold Coast – Snapper Rocks vs Noosa – Noosa River