Surf spot

Snapper Rocks

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

Country: Australia, QLD, Gold Coast
Coordinates: -28.1615, 153.5497

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)	6.6	6.7	6.2	10.2	13	10	4	4.3	5	5.7	4.3	8	10.6	9.8	4.1	4.4	5.2	4.7	3.6	12.6	15.1	12.6	10	8.7	8.4	6.9	13.3	16.3	18.4	20.3	18.8	18.4	15.6	13.1	11.8	10.3	18.4	16.9	12.8	14.5	9.7	7.1	5.9	10.1	8.8	10.5	3.3	5.2	5	4.9	2.2	8.7	12.1	11.5	5.8	6.2
Wind direction	SSWCross-off	SWCross-off	SWCross-off	SECross-off	ESECross-off	ESECross-off	SGlassy	SWGlassy	WSWCross	SWCross-off	SWGlassy	ECross	ENECross	NECross-on	NNWGlassy	NWGlassy	WNWCross-on	WGlassy	NWGlassy	NNEOnshore	NNECross-on	NOnshore	NNWOnshore	NNWOnshore	NNWOnshore	SOffshore	SSWCross-off	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSEOffshore	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SSWCross-off	SOffshore	SOffshore	SSWCross-off	SOffshore	SSWCross-off	SWCross-off	SWCross-off	SOffshore	SECross-off	ESECross-off	SWGlassy	WSWCross	WSWCross	WSWGlassy	WGlassy	NECross-on	NECross-on	NNECross-on	NNWOnshore	NWCross-on

Snapper Rocks is one of Australia’s most famous surf breaks, located at the southern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland, right near the border with New South Wales at Point Danger/Coolangatta.

Overview

Type of wave: World-class right-hand point break
Best for: Experienced surfers, longboarders on smaller days, competitive surfing
Known for: Long, fast, hollow rights and highly consistent surf when the sandbanks line up
Reputation: Part of the legendary Superbank, which can produce some of the longest rides in the world

Wave Characteristics

Snapper Rocks is the starting point of the Superbank setup, a sand-built wave system that can connect through: - Snapper Rocks - Little Marley - Rainbow Bay - Greenmount - sometimes all the way toward Kirra

When it’s working well, surfers can ride one wave for an exceptionally long distance, with sections that are: - fast and racy - barreling - powerful but highly groomed - often crowded, especially when the swell is good

Best Conditions

Snapper works best with: - South to southeast swell - West to southwest winds or light offshore winds - Mid to high tide often helps shape the bank, though it can work across a range of tides depending on sand movement

Hazards / Crowds

Heavy crowds: one of the most crowded surf spots in Australia
Strong rips and currents
Shallow sections over sandbanks, especially on bigger swells
Can be intense and competitive in the lineup

Vibe

The setting is beautiful, with ocean views, rock headland, and a lively surf culture. Because of its consistency and quality, Snapper Rocks attracts: - local surfers - traveling surf tourists - professional surfers - spectators during major events

Events

Snapper Rocks is a regular venue for major surf competitions and has long been associated with the World Surf League due to its quality and fame.