If there’s one thing Queensland’s Gold Coast is famous for it’s beaches, waves and surfers.

Our surfing culture remains the soul of our city and should be respected and remembered as such. With a list of pro surfers longer than your arm hailing from the Coast, it’s no wonder people travel from around the world to surf our breaks. Let’s face it, most of the time you can grab a board, run down the sand and be sure to catch a decent wave at pretty much any beach on the Coast. But where do you find waves that are a little bit bigger, break a little bit cleaner and roll in a little bit more consistently? Here are our Top 3 best surf breaks on the Gold Coast.

1. Snapper

Snapper Rocks serves up a world class and consistent right-hander. It’s a  break located at the Southern end of Queensland’s Gold Coast. Snapper forms part of  the ‘Super Bank’ which resulted from sand pumping operations out of the Tweed River Mouth. This break is busy everyday and should be left to experienced surfers. If you’re very lucky, you’ll ride a freaky wave from Snapper, across Greenmount, and finish up at Kirra – it is a long shot, but theoretically possible and apparently has been achieved before. It’s no surprise that Snapper is home to the Quicksilver and Roxy Pro and rated as the best surf break on the Gold Coast. A truly gnarly break.

2. Burleigh

 Not one for the light-hearted, Burleigh’s point break is a world famous right-hand break that has been a favourite of pro and experienced surfers for generations. Burleigh can be loose; unleashing deep pitted barrels around the popular headland (especially with big swell). It’s also important to be wary of the ever-present rocks. As with many popular breaks, locals are fierce and protective of their wave, so be mindful and respectful of this.

3. South Straddie

A 300m paddle, a dink from a jetski or a quick ride on a boat will get you from the main land of the Gold Coast to TOS (The Other Side) – the southern tip of South Stradbroke Island. Behind the Seaway’s northern wall is a busy break on weekends, but generally has much fewer surfers on weekdays. The beauty about South Stradie is that it provides consistent breaks. You’ll mostly get some short, powerful barrels both right and left-handers.