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After leaving NZ we headed off to Australia to check out the famous beachies and right points. The difference in climate between Nz and Oz was noticeable as soon as we steped out of the airport to be hit with humidity. We landed on Australia day weekend and headed to the sunshine coast for a traditional Aussie wedding/piss up with some friends. It’s a good time to hit Oz as the school holidays have finished and campsites/hire cars etc are cheaper and the surf less crowded. A lot of talk about sharks here at the moment so that kinda freaked me out.
The stretch from Angourie to the Gold Coast is pretty tropical so its boardshorts and plenty of sunscreen. The whole time we were there the swell was at least 2 to 3 foot. Its hard to read weather charts there as they are so different from home. We were getting swell off a high pressure for weeks. The open beaches are very rarely flat so there is nearly always a surfable wave. The Gold Coast is one of the most commercial surf destinations on the planet with thousands of surfers including half of the ASP world Tour living there. It can get horrendously crowded but the waves can be World Class.
At the top of the 20km strip there is Sorth Stradbroke and at the bottom D’bar which are 2 of the best, most consistent beach breaks in the world. I would hit Dbar at 4.30 most mornings and surf for 2 hours before Mick Fanning and his 500 mates would arrive. The early morning session is best as there is mainly light or no winds early before the strong sea breezes kick in. Dbar is a high performance wave which has barrels, air sections and perfect walls. To catch waves you really got to push yourself and is a good place to improve your surfing. Dbar works when no were else has a wave and can handle onshore winds. A few east swells brought the superbank to life while we were there and I competed for scraps with the huge crowd. Unlike previous trips here I actually got a decent amount of waves with the secret being to look like you mean business and paddle hard. Its such an intense crowd to surf with but when you do get waves they are so whackable you get to do 10 turns on a wave. Its such a different surf experience to Ireland in everyway. The tweed coast is only 15 minutes drive south and can be a lot quieter if you want to get out of the goldie. We did a short trip up to North Stradbroke Island which is really quiet but has a great shorebreak and a mellow vibe.
For info on surf holidays abroad check out www.surfbreaks.ie
The stretch from Angourie to the Gold Coast is pretty tropical so its boardshorts and plenty of sunscreen. The whole time we were there the swell was at least 2 to 3 foot. Its hard to read weather charts there as they are so different from home. We were getting swell off a high pressure for weeks. The open beaches are very rarely flat so there is nearly always a surfable wave. The Gold Coast is one of the most commercial surf destinations on the planet with thousands of surfers including half of the ASP world Tour living there. It can get horrendously crowded but the waves can be World Class.At the top of the 20km strip there is Sorth Stradbroke and at the bottom D’bar which are 2 of the best, most consistent beach breaks in the world. I would hit Dbar at 4.30 most mornings and surf for 2 hours before Mick Fanning and his 500 mates would arrive. The early morning session is best as there is mainly light or no winds early before the strong sea breezes kick in. Dbar is a high performance wave which has barrels, air sections and perfect walls. To catch waves you really got to push yourself and is a good place to improve your surfing. Dbar works when no were else has a wave and can handle onshore winds. A few east swells brought the superbank to life while we were there and I competed for scraps with the huge crowd. Unlike previous trips here I actually got a decent amount of waves with the secret being to look like you mean business and paddle hard. Its such an intense crowd to surf with but when you do get waves they are so whackable you get to do 10 turns on a wave. Its such a different surf experience to Ireland in everyway. The tweed coast is only 15 minutes drive south and can be a lot quieter if you want to get out of the goldie. We did a short trip up to North Stradbroke Island which is really quiet but has a great shorebreak and a mellow vibe.
For info on surf holidays abroad check out www.surfbreaks.ie
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