When I hit the beach to surf I usually head down to Mermaid Beach. Though the waves are not among the best of the Gold Coast’s offerings, I choose this spot because of the ability to dodge the swelling crowds. Crowds and surfing: they’ve got a funny relationship. No serious surfer out there will tell you that they enjoy surfing in a tightly packed spot, yet nonetheless we all tend to exacerbate the matter by obeying certain sheep-like behavior (i.e. the “follow the pack” mentality).

A typical day at Mermaid Beach offers surfers roughly 3 or 4 peaks, though usually only one is being ridden, and by a ton of surfers. Before jumping in and paddling to a certain spot, I always have a good look to make a smart choice. My ultimate decision is always influenced both by how good the waves are and by how many surfers are already there. Usually, I’ll sacrifice a bit of quality to have more room for myself, but that’s a personal preference not everyone shares.

I’ll also often walk up to a kilometer in either direction to find the wave I’d like to surf. As soon as I catch a wave though, someone from the pack surfing the other wave will paddle over to join me. Heaven knows why they were not there already, the wave had been breaking all day. Obviously they just didn’t have the imagination or intelligence to realize the wave was there, until they saw me catch one.

I’m constantly amazed by the number of surfers who arrive at the beach and do not look for a wave. Rather they just paddle out to the closest group of surfers assuming that will be where the best waves are.

There have been days when I was the only surfer getting wet on days with excellent conditions all along the beach. Yet when another surfer gets in, they come sit on my tail instead of taking advantage of the ample space. In such scenarios I simply paddle over to the next wave to keep surfing, wondering the whole way there about the other surfer’s intelligence.

In the end, this prevalent behavior obliges me to wonder: what ever happened to the exploratory spirit that used to be so essential to surfing? Where has it ended up? When did it get substituted by this sheepish behavior where everyone just follows the rest? Perhaps I am peculiar now in my eagerness for uninterrupted surfing; maybe the crowd dynamic is what most people enjoy now? It’s beyond me, yet I can’t help thinking this type of behavior is odd.

Here is a thought. Every time you go to the beach for a surf, spend some time on the beach observing the waves before you paddle out. You may find a better wave if you look, you’ll definitely catch more waves if you find a less crowded one.

When you visit Queensland there is no reason to miss the Gold Coast beaches. In fact, the beaches here are the sole reason many travelers head to this part of Australia. Blessed with a virtually endless stretch of sand, all under sunny skies with an ocean, a swimming every day is no tall order. Water temperatures are almost never uncomfortable here, bottoming out around 20 degrees C. The beaches on the Gold Coast continue to draw amazing crowds.

Here are the big reasons why.

The Surf

From Duranbah in New South Wales through to The Other Side (TOS) at South Stradbroke Island, we have beach after beach of world class waves to surf. We have some of the most famous reef breaks in the world, with Snapper Rocks and Burleigh Heads constantly producing amazingly long right handers. And it is at these point breaks that we host the first ASP World Championship Tour event, during February – March every year.

Then again, if you’re the type of surfer who will happily compromise on wave quality for a greatly reduced crowd, just make your way to the beach breaks. An amazing, virtually endless stretch of beach breaks cover the Gold Coast including places like Kirra and Surfers Paradise, which are justifiably famous. Then there are the lesser known spots like Main Beach, Tugan, Mermaid Beach, Miami and Nobby’s Beach. While crowds fill the point breaks and you wait in line for a wave, the beach breaks just sit and glisten in the sun, unridden waves crashing on shore all day long.

This part of the coast is a laboratory for surf champs, producing guys like Dean Morrison, Parko and Mick Fanning, guys who are in the running for world champion.

For the Swimmers and Tanners

The Gold Coast Weather combined with the temperate water temperature makes our beaches ideal for swimming and tanning all year round. Sure, sometimes it gets a bit “nippy” here in winter, but only in the mornings. It is a rarer July and August day (June – August are winter in the Southern Hemisphere) not to see people tanning on the beach, than to see them there. The beautiful 20 – 24 C days of sitting in the sun in the middle of winter are the rule, not the exception.

As for the water, it’s so pleasant you can even take a swim most nights on the Gold Coast! The air was much more of a threat to my comfort level when I jump out of the water one night and run back to the car.

Considering there are about ten to twenty meters of sand from ocean to street on almost every Gold Coast beach, the tanning, surfing, swimming, running and kite surfing are truly a pleasure. Usually, there are spots for picnics, barbecuing or a little beach volleyball, too. It’s not surprising that the beaches are one of the biggest tourist attractions themselves.