Surf spot

North Burleigh ledge

Forecast conditions and map view for North Burleigh ledge in Australia, QLD, Gold Coast. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: Australia, QLD, Gold Coast
Coordinates: -28.0721, 153.4472

Metric
Metric	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00
Wave height (m)	1	1.1	1	1	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.5	1.6	1.6	1.5	1.4	0.6	0.4	1.1	1.6	1.8	1.8	1.7	1.1	1	1	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.8	1	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9
Wave direction	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	SE	SE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	ENE	ENE	ENE	ESE	ESE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SSE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SSE	SE	SE	SE	SE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE
Wave period (s)	5.2	5.5	5.4	5.5	8.6	8.8	5.5	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.3	5.4	5.2	5.5	5.3	5.7	5.5	5.5	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.5	5.3	5.8	8.3	8.4	7.7	7.8	7.8	7.7	10	9.4	8.1	7.3	7	7	7	8.2	8.3	8.2	8.3	8	8.1	8	8	5.8	5.8	5.8	5.7	6.4
Wave energy (kJ)	57	75	61	57	109	111	50	46	46	45	43	39	37	36	34	33	29	27	20	25	20	20	20	20	19	18	18	16	15	11	16	33	311	296	274	243	82	32	168	276	299	304	281	173	147	124	120	108	102	93	85	66	57	54	49	69
Wind speed (km/h)	7.6	8.1	8.3	14.2	15.8	13.5	7.8	6.6	6.1	6.2	5.6	10.3	12.3	11	4	4.4	6.2	6.2	5.4	11.5	19.2	15.5	9.4	7.7	8.4	4.6	14.1	21.6	21.2	21.9	23.1	22.3	17.7	14.5	14.4	15.9	18	17.6	16.6	16.2	11.5	8.9	8.9	10.7	7.6	11.4	4.3	5.7	5.9	5.4	4	9.5	14.4	12.5	6.2	6.7
Wind direction	SOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	ESECross-off	ESECross	ECross	SECross-off	SOffshore	SWCross-off	SSWOffshore	SWCross-off	ENECross-on	ENECross-on	NECross-on	NGlassy	WGlassy	WCross	WCross	WNWCross	NOnshore	NNEOnshore	NNEOnshore	NNWOnshore	NWCross-on	NWCross-on	SWGlassy	SOffshore	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSECross-off	SSEOffshore	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SOffshore	SSEOffshore	SOffshore	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SSWOffshore	SECross-off	ESECross	ECross	SGlassy	SWCross-off	WCross-off	WSWCross-off	WGlassy	NECross-on	NECross-on	NNEOnshore	NNWOnshore	WNWCross

North Burleigh Ledge is a well-known reef break on the Gold Coast in Queensland, sitting below the North Burleigh headland. It’s a punchy, fairly serious wave that tends to work best with the right swell direction and enough size to make the reef come alive.

What it’s like

Wave type: Fast, hollow reef break with a defined takeoff
Best for: Intermediate to advanced surfers, especially those comfortable with reef breaks
Character: Can be powerful and wedgy, with quick sections and occasional barrels when conditions line up

Conditions

Best swell: Usually responds well to southeast to east swell
Best wind: Westerly to offshore winds generally clean it up
Best tide: Often better on mid to low tide, depending on swell size and sand/reef exposure

Crowd and vibe

It’s a popular and often crowded break, especially when the Gold Coast is pumping.
Local awareness matters, as the takeoff zone and lineup can be intense and tightly packed.

Hazards

Shallow reef: Can be unforgiving on low tide or bigger swells
Powerful wash-throughs: Wipeouts can be rough
Crowds and localism: Standard for a recognized reef break

Overall

North Burleigh Ledge is a high-performance Gold Coast reef wave that can be excellent when conditions align. It’s not usually the spot for beginners, but for surfers who know reef breaks, it can deliver fast, quality waves with real power.