Found on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia is an absolute gem of a surf break. Kirra is the ultimate point break on its day, comparable to any wave in the world. It dredges heavily over a sand bottom, sucking below sea level as it races down the line for up to 200 meters. The lips are powerful and at times slabby, delivering the deepest, fastest, and longest tubes of most individuals lives. On bigger days, pros have taken to jumping off jet skis to get in early and up their make rate for the difficult drop (or they’ve forgotten how to paddle hard, who is to say?). Those without skis risk the pummeling into the sand that will inevitably happen. Kirra has had several near deaths and resurrections. Because it is so sand dependent, several construction projects over the past 50 years or so have made the spot disappear for years at a time, but it has resurfaced without fail. If you can make a drop and pick up as much speed as possible, you might make the barrel of you life.
What are the best surf conditions for Kirra?
Kirra gets good between waist high and triple overhead, it usually breaks at about a third to half the size of the incoming swell, so it needs a big one. A shortboard or step up are the boards of choice here, but anything that you can make a steep drop and hold speed on will work. Kirra is really on a break for intermediate, advanced, or pro surfers. The wave is fickle, and does not break often (3/10). The crowds on the other hand are absolutely legendary. You will be counting by the hundreds on a good day here (10/10). It is very rare to have a wave where no one drops in on you so anticipate getting a few if not all of your barrels ruined. Watch the good locals and visiting pros, they tend to have a hard time checking left over their shoulder when it’s good (maybe it’s something in the water). Offshore winds come from the West. A large Southeast groundswell is the best for Kirra, but it can work on East and Northeast cyclone swells as well. The best tides depend on the sand, but it can work on any tide.
Boardshorts and bikinis are the dress code year round. Water temperatures climb to 27 degrees in February before dropping to a still warm 22 degrees in winter. See the temperature chart below for more data on this.
