Gold Coast Surf Cams: Watch the Waves Live

Currumbin Alley

Currumbin Alley is the reason many surfers end up here in the first place. The wave runs as a long, peeling right-hander off the rock wall at the northern end of Currumbin Beach, winding toward the creek mouth with enough shoulder for longboarders and shortboarders to share. It works best on a south to southeast swell with a light westerly wind, and the tide pushing in tends to hold the shape through mid-morning. The Alley suits intermediate surfers confidently, and beginners who want a longer, more forgiving wall will find it kinder than the punchier breaks further south. Sessions between sunrise and 9am catch the cleanest water before the sea breeze swings onshore. Our live cam sits above the Alley, so the view you get from the couch is almost the same one you will paddle into 20 minutes later. Stay beachfront at The Rocks Resort and the Alley is quite literally at your front door.

Kirra

Kirra is a name surfers say with reverence. Roughly 15 minutes south of Currumbin, the beach sits between Coolangatta and Bilinga and fires on a solid easterly swell with the right sand banks in place. When it is on, Kirra produces long, hollow right-handers that barrel down the point for hundreds of metres, drawing crowds from across the country. The break favours experienced surfers, particularly on bigger swells when it becomes one of the heaviest waves on the coast, but smaller days offer cleaner fun for intermediates. Dawn and late afternoon sessions are the pick, especially through autumn and winter when the easterly swells line up best. There is no live cam embedded at Kirra on this page, but Swellnet and Surfline both host quality feeds. Check those for Kirra, then come back to our Currumbin cam for your home base view. The Rocks Resort is a 15-minute drive north.

Live feed: Kirra on Surfline · Kirra on Swellnet.

Tugun

Tugun sits just south of Currumbin and is the quieter sibling in the lineup. The beach picks up swells that Currumbin blocks, which makes it a solid option on smaller days when the Alley is flat. Tugun offers sandy banks with shifting peaks, both lefts and rights, and works across a broader swell range than the point breaks further south. It is a good choice for intermediate surfers and confident beginners, with fewer crowds than Currumbin or Kirra. Morning glass-offs before the onshore kicks in are the best window, though afternoon sessions can light up when the wind swings offshore. For a real-time view, check the Swellnet or Surfline Tugun feed before you drive down. Tugun is a 5-minute drive from The Rocks Resort, or a 20-minute walk along the beach on a calm day.

Live feed: Tugun on Surfline.

Snapper Rocks

Snapper Rocks is the southernmost break on the Gold Coast, tucked into the corner at Rainbow Bay. It is world-famous as the opening venue of the WSL Championship Tour and for good reason. On the right sand and a solid south swell, the wave runs all the way through Snapper, Rainbow, Greenmount and out toward Kirra, a single unbroken line known as the Superbank. Snapper is strictly for advanced surfers, and even on smaller days the lineup is deep and local. If you are not confident in heavy crowds and fast barrels, watch and learn from the headland instead. There is no live cam on our page for Snapper, but Surfline runs a high-definition feed. The drive from The Rocks Resort takes about 20 minutes via the Gold Coast Highway, which makes it an easy morning mission if Snapper is firing.

Live feed: Snapper Rocks on Surfline · Snapper Rocks on Swellnet.

Palm Beach (Gold Coast)

Palm Beach runs for nearly four kilometres between Currumbin Creek and Tallebudgera, so it catches a huge range of swell angles and almost always has a peak working somewhere. The banks shift through the year but consistent beach breaks make it a reliable option when the southern points are crowded or flat. Palm Beach suits intermediate surfers on an average day and can turn on for advanced surfers when a solid east swell meets offshore winds. The northern end, closer to Currumbin, tends to pick up more size. Early morning is prime, before the thermal breeze sets in. Keep an eye on the Palm Beach surf cam feeds hosted by Swellnet or Coastalwatch. The Rocks Resort sits right at the northern end of Palm Beach, so the walk from apartment to water is measured in minutes, not kilometres.

Live feed: Palm Beach on Surfline.

Burleigh Heads

Burleigh Heads is the other big-name point on the southern Gold Coast and sits about 10 minutes north of Currumbin. The wave wraps around the headland at Burleigh National Park and runs as a fast, hollow right-hander over a shallow rock and sand bottom. It is a serious wave that favours experienced surfers, particularly on bigger swells, but smaller days can be more forgiving for confident intermediates. Burleigh works best on a south to southeast swell with a light westerly wind, and the tide pushing in tends to line up the cleanest sets. The lineup is famously busy, so patience and local etiquette matter. For a live check, Surfline and Swellnet both run feeds on Burleigh. After your session, the Burleigh cafe strip along The Esplanade is one of the best post-surf breakfast stretches on the coast.

Live feed: Burleigh Heads on Surfline · Burleigh Heads on Swellnet.

Gold Coast Surf at a Glance

The southern Gold Coast strings together some of the most consistent surf in Australia, with six high-quality breaks inside a 20-minute drive of The Rocks Resort. Currumbin Alley gives you a long, rippable right-hander at the front door. Snapper Rocks, Rainbow Bay and Kirra are the world-class points a little further south. Tugun and Palm Beach fill in the gaps with sandy-bottom beach breaks suited to all levels. Burleigh Heads to the north rounds out the set. Conditions vary with swell direction, tide and wind, and the trick is knowing where to be on any given morning. Our live Currumbin cam is the quickest way to check before you paddle out at the home break, and the external feeds linked above cover the rest of the coast. Book a beachfront apartment at The Rocks Resort and you are perfectly placed to chase whichever break is working.