Kitesurfing in Gold Coast

About Gold Coast

The Gold Coast is better known for its surf, but the sheltered water behind it — the Broadwater and the creek mouths — gives some of the best flat-water riding in Queensland.

Shearwater Esplanade at Runaway Bay, half an hour north of Surfers Paradise, is the accessible option: some of the finest flat water on the coast, working on northerly, easterly or southerly wind. It rides best at dead high or dead low tide; mid-tide turns choppy, and tidal currents can run hard against you. At low tide it suits beginners.

Currumbin, half an hour south, is the opposite. It only works on a northerly or north-easterly, is best on an outgoing tide, and gives flat water behind sandbars plus a surf point break. It is explicitly an advanced spot: trees deeper in the lagoon block the wind, the water deepens quickly at high tide, and currents can produce dangerous sweeps.

Between them they cover most conditions, and the rest of the Gold Coast is exactly what you would expect it to be.

When to go

Best months: January, February, March, April, October, November, December.

• January
• February
• March
• April
• October
• November
• December

Plan your kitesurfing holiday

Use the local kite area guides to check riding conditions and access, then match your travel month and accommodation to your experience and travel companions.

• Where to kitesurf by month
• Plan a kitesurfing holiday
• Beginner kitesurfing holidays
• Kitesurfing holidays for couples

Explore the region

• Oceania

Kite areas

2 distinct riding areas documented within this destination.

• Shearwater Esplanade

  Best months: January, February, March, April, October, November, December.

• Currumbin

  Best months: January, February, March, April, October, November, December.