The Alley at Currumbin has very long rights, well sheltered from the strongest SE winds. Rarely a barrel, it lazily peels for hundreds of metres, just asking to be ripped to pieces. It is such an accommodating wave that all types of surfcraft tackle it making the crowds of longboards, SUP and even kiteboarders a bit daunting. Best with a SE swell up to double-overhead, SW wind and lower, outgoing tides to hold up the walls across the rivermouth. The beaches south and north of the Alley through to Palm Beach hold plenty of less-crowded peaks.

Burleigh Heads can be so awesome when the swell has S in it and the wind is SW offshore, shaping up thick, dredging barrels breaking over sand in front of a basalt boulder shoreline. After a long, leg-aching ride to the shorey shut-downs, it’s a jog back up the point and over the slippery boulders before dashing for the outside against the rip that drags you back down the point. When the rest of the coast is closed-out, Burleigh will still be holding and barrel-hungry chargers will paddle out from the Tallebudgera rivermouth to the south, where there are more waves. Cyclone swells can blow holes in the set-up and it’s rare for all four sections (Sharkies, The Cove, The Point and Rockbreak) to link-up. It’s not as long as Kirra and not quite as crowded, but unfortunately it’s more localised.

The Miami stretch used to be a bit of a quiet spot away from the crowds, but these days nowhere is empty along the Goldie. Beat the wind by getting up early and avoid high tide when the waves go slack and the outside/inside channel cuts length of ride. Broadbeach is a continuation of the Surfers Paradise theme with plenty of fun beachbreaks to choose from, which range from straight-handers to long workable walls. Occasionally fires off some good barrels at lower tides and picks up NE swells better than SE, which shows better further north. This whole stretch will close-out when the wave faces exceed 6-8ft, which is when all the pointbreaks will be working. Surfers Paradise itself is more dedicated to swimmers, so don’t surf between the flags as the lifeguards don’t have a sense of humour. In-between the patrolled areas there are various peaks, sometimes slow and mushy, perfect for beginners and sometimes sucky and walled up with hollow bits, often in summer NE swells, when the crowds make it a real lucky dip as to whether you have a good session or not. All tides up to 6ft. Parking can be tricky and the backdrop of hi-rise hotels, casinos and swanky apartment buildings is a rare one for Australian waters. Narrowneck used to be off the surfer’s radar until an artificial reef was built to create an erosion protection solution to prevent the beach being inundated during storm swells. While this part of the project is considered to have worked, the bonus surfing wave has been attracting plenty of takers since the sandbags trip up a decent right on SE swells and a left in NE’ers. ‘Naz’ is not the most exciting wave but can provide more shape on junky, onshore days than the long expanses of Surfers Paradise beaches stretching south. On its good days, there’s pits to be found and a bit of extra power over the reef, plus a shorey section that bodyboarders like. Gets crowded as it is the first stop from Brisbane and is a regular local contest site. From Sea World you can take a look at The Spit, which isn’t quite as developed as the rest of this coast, receives plenty of swell and has tons of empty peaks stretching as far as Main Beach. The main event is usually a left breaking between the Southport Seaway jetty and the Spit sand-pumping jetty, which provides plenty of raw materials for nice banks, both here and over the rivermouth at South Stradbroke Island. Its other fine quality is being able to tame the NE sea breezes better than any Goldy spot. The Spit is popular with tourists and beginners because there is less hassling and the waves are generally slopey and manageable when small. Can get hollow in a stronger, moderate swell, but it closes-out as it exceeds 6-8ft faces, plus the currents can ramp up quickly. The northern jetty is the most easily accessible of the South Straddie breaks and the trim peaks get insanely crowded as many dash across the channel that is famous for as much shark traffic as boat traffic.