February 2010

Surfing Safari

The best board riders on the planet are gathering to tackle the Gold Coast’s famed Snapper Rocks

WORDS BILL PALMER

Surfing on the Gold Coast is not just a pastime — it borders on being a religion. Indeed, it even has a suburb to celebrate the fact that it’s paradise for surfers. And while Surfers Paradise itself is more famous for its funparks than its surf, the beaches to the north and south are home to some of the best surfing in the country. This month they’ll be home to the best surfers in the world.

The point break of Snapper Rocks, on the Queensland/New South Wales border, will be transformed into a temporary surfing city as it plays host to two of the world’s premier surfing contests, the men’s Quiksilver Pro and the women’s Roxy Pro.

With more than 60km of picture-perfect coastline stretching from South Stradbroke Island in the north to the Tweed Coast in the south, surfing is the lifeblood of the region. So it comes as no surprise that surfers from the Gold Coast dominate the world rankings.

The world’s top three men’s surfers all live within a few minutes of Snapper’s famed waves: world number one Mick Fanning, second-ranked Joel Parkinson and number three Bede Durbidge. Three-time women’s world champ Steph Gilmore is also a local.

There are no entry fees to watch the Quiksilver or Roxy Pros — just park yourself on a sand-dune or hill overlooking the beach and soak up the action. While the contests are officially held at Snapper, there is a roving commission for organisers to chase the waves. If Snapper isn’t firing, the competition can be staged anywhere from North Stradbroke Island to Cabarita in northern NSW.

Most of the time, organisers make an early-morning decision whether to move the event and, if the surf really sucks, there’s the potential for organisers to call a day off as long as they still have reserve days up their sleeves. You can keep up with any developments by listening to local radio stations or checking on-line.

However, if the Surf God Huey is smiling, most of the action should be staged at Snapper, just a short stroll around Greenmount Headland from dozens of accommodation options in the surfie suburb of Coolangatta.

During the contest each year Coolangatta goes into party mode, building to a crescendo on finals night when the winner traditionally shouts the bar. Organisers have worked hard to turn the event into a festival of surfing and summer living, with a music festival added to the entertainment line-up.

To the uninitiated, the scoring system for competitive surfing is similar to that of diving or gymnastics. Judges give surfers a score out of 10 for each wave they catch during the competition, which pits surfer against surfer in a knockout format like a tennis tournament. The best two waves of each heat count.

Perfect 10s are rare but they do happen — last year’s Quiksilver Pro winner Joel Parkinson chalked up two on a pulsating final day as Kirra Point was lashed by cyclonic 3m seas. For Parkinson, the world number two, the event holds a special place. As a Coolangatta local, it’s his home event and one he has won twice.

Home ground advantage is a huge boost for Parkinson and the other locals. Fanning has won here in 2005 and 2007; Parkinson won in 2002 and 2009. After leading the world ratings for much of last year, Parkinson is desperate to win the world title which has so far eluded him and can think of no better place to start than Snapper Rocks.

“There’s always something special for me about this first event of the year,” he says. “For starters, it’s in my backyard and I get to have all my family and friends on the beach supporting. You can hear the crowd when you’re out there competing so you always know if you’ve got a good wave. And it has turned into a festival-like event with so many things to see.”

On the women’s side, Gilmore should again start as favourite. The girl nicknamed “Happy” grew up a short drive down the road on the Tweed Coast, but even outside of competition you can find her carving up out the back with the boys at Snapper. Not surprisingly she rates the Roxy Pro, an event she first won as a teenager, as her favourite.

“I’m probably a little bit biased because it’s my home break,” she admits. “Overall, it’s one of the best-run contests and it’s a great set-up for the fans. You can get up to 10,000–15,000 people on the beach at any one time and it’s just an awesome atmosphere.

As she succinctly puts it: “The Gold Coast really is one of the meccas of surfing.”

Jetstar flies to the Gold Coast from Adelaide, Cairns, Melbourne, Newcastle and Sydney, and from Tokyo, Osaka, Auckland and Christchurch; JetSaver light fares from AU$75. Book online at Jetstar.com

SANDBOX

• This year’s Quiksilver Pro is held on 27 February – 10 March.
• Snapper Rocks is just south of Coolangatta and less than 10 minutes’ drive from Gold Coast Airport.
• Best accommodation options are at Coolangatta, Tweed Heads and Kirra — advance bookings are essential and can be made at Jetstar.com.
• Visit www.quiksilverpro.com.au or www.roxypro.com.au for more info.
• To learn more about the history of surfing, visit the Surf World Gold Coast surfing museum, located at 35 Tomewin Street, Currumbin.

DID YOU KNOW?
In Quiksilver Pro history, every winner has been Australian except one — surfing legend Kelly Slater.