Burleigh HeadsGold Coast (Palm Beach)
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Reef around the Burleigh headland; boulders 3–8 m, snapper, bream, kingfish. Enter off the rocks below the NP walk.
Google MapsGold Coast (Palm Beach) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
2.6
wave 1.3 m
visibility2m
Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 06:04
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
- Method
- Model consensus, read per window
- Freshness
- Re-read every hour, per coast
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
How we score the water
Our own model
Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.
- Swell & wave memory
- Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
- Wind & gusts
- Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
- Tide phase
- Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
- Water temperature
- Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
- Currents & outflow
- Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
- Rain runoff & air clarity
- Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
- Coast shape & exposure
- How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.
Safety gates
- Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
- An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
- Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
- Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
- Night hours — forced red; the window is closed after dark.
It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.
A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.
Where to get in, where to hunt
Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 06:04
Gold Coast (Palm Beach) — solo, off the rocks
don't go · wave 1.3 m (occasionally up to ~2.6 m)
wave 1.3 mwind 5 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~3 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 19.9°C
confidence high · verdict for the selected day
Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day
Windows, hours
and the day's trends.
The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.
Thursday · today2026-07-23
06:33–17:11 · first quarter
▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 15:00▼ 22:00 · 1.0 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.06 m
Wave1.08 m
Wind6 km/h
Water20 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:06 · moderate · moon underfoot 06:30 · high · moonrise 11:50 · moderate · moon overhead 18:50 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.28 mperiod 6.8 swind 5→12surge 11.1viz 2 m
1.28 mup to ~2.56 · 90° at an angle
6.8 sswell moderate
5→12gusts 12 km/h
11.1pounding the rocks
0.17m/s
2 mrecent swell
19.9°C5 mm + hood
▼08:00tide turn near
Atmosphere35 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon underfoot
- wave 1.3 m (occasionally up to ~2.6 m)
- strong surge — waves hit the rocks hard
- low water — slack
confidence hightwilight
The water column
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
What it is
A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsThe seabed
Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
On the rock
The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.
The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.
Entry points
Where to get in
off the rocks.
Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.
Open the seafloor map
Currumbin — Elephant RockGold Coast (Palm Beach)
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Rock and reef by Elephant Rock/Currumbin Alley; 2–6 m, bream, snapper. Watch the Alley tidal current.
Google MapsSnapper Rocks / Kirra reefGold Coast (Palm Beach)
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Rocky point at the NSW border; reef 2–6 m, bream, snapper, drummer. Very crowded surf — dive early.
Google MapsSOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live
Look at the water
right now.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
connecting to the stream…
connecting to the stream…
connecting to the stream…
connecting to the stream…
connecting to the stream…
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- yellowtail kingfish⚠️ Sizes/limits and licences vary BY STATE (NSW/VIC require a Recreational Fishing Licence; QLD/WA/SA/TAS/NT usually don't). Check your state's fisheries.
- snapper⚠️ Sizes/limits and licences vary BY STATE (NSW/VIC require a Recreational Fishing Licence; QLD/WA/SA/TAS/NT usually don't). Check your state's fisheries.
- dusky flathead
- luderick (blackfish)
- silver trevally
- samsonfish
- West Australian dhufish⚠️ WA: demersal closure (west-coast bioregion) until spring 2027 — check before you go; tight limits.
- morwong
Law
- ✓Rules and licences vary BY STATE. NSW and VIC require a (NSW ~AUD 35/yr); QLD/WA/SA/TAS/NT need no general (WA has the boat RFBL). Spearfishing is banned in ALL inland waters.
- ✓ / — full no-take (incl. GBR green/pink zones in QLD): no fishing, no spearfishing. No taking fish on scuba (QLD/NT expressly ban it); rock lobster may not be speared. Stay ≥150 m from people (NT), don't load the speargun out of the water.
- ⛔ 🚫 Eastern blue groper (NSW state fish) — protected from spearing since 1969. Potato cod, Queensland (giant) groper, humphead Maori wrasse, barramundi cod — no-take.
- ⛔ 🚫 Grey nurse shark, black cod (Epinephelus daemelii), great white shark, whale shark, seahorses/seadragons — fully protected.
- ⛔ 🚫 Rock lobster may NOT be taken by spear (statewide gear rule). Spearfishing is banned in all inland waters and in / (full no-take) — check the zone map.
Rules change and vary BY STATE. Before heading out, check with your state's fisheries (NSW DPI, Fisheries QLD, VFA, DPIRD WA, PIRSA, NRE Tas, NT Fisheries) and the marine-park zoning map.
Safety protocol
- Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
- Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
- Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
- Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
- Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
- Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
- UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
- Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
Spearfishing in Gold Coast (Palm Beach): spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing on the Gold Coast is legal planning by state, not by the word Australia. The city is in Queensland, so the baseline is no general recreational fishing licence for shore spearfishing, with an important gear limit: fish are not taken on scuba. The practical marks are shallow, surf-facing reefs and points: Burleigh Heads, Currumbin / Elephant Rock, and Snapper Rocks / Kirra at the NSW border. They can be productive for snapper, bream, kingfish or drummer, but they are not sheltered nursery pools. The coast faces east, the bad swell sector is roughly north-east through south-east, and the shark-risk flag is moderate. Check the Gold Coast council beach cams, choose small swell, stay out of no-take zones, and do not spear rock lobster.
TL;DR
- Gold Coast spearfishing is Queensland spearfishing: no general recreational licence is required, but taking fish on scuba is banned.
- Burleigh Heads, Currumbin / Elephant Rock and Snapper Rocks / Kirra are shallow point and reef options, all exposed to east-sector swell and surf traffic.
- Marine National Park and Sanctuary zones are full no-take, rock lobster may not be speared, and all inland waters are closed to spearfishing.
- Use the live council beach cameras before driving. The local shark-risk flag is moderate, not low.
Gold Coast spearfishing spots reef points
The Gold Coast marks are close to beaches, surf points and creek mouths, so access is simple but timing is not. No formal safety rating is supplied for the spots; the useful details are depth, habitat, current and crowd pressure. The pattern is shallow reef and boulders in 2-8 m, best treated as early-window shore diving when surf and people are light.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burleigh Heads | Headland reef and boulders | 3-8 m | Exposed point reef | Rocks below the national-park walk | Snapper, bream and kingfish are listed. The council cam looks directly at the point, so use it before committing to the rocks. |
| Currumbin / Elephant Rock | Rock and reef by Currumbin Alley | 2-6 m | Shallow reef with tidal current | Elephant Rock / Currumbin Alley shore | Bream and snapper are listed. Watch the Alley tidal current and do not confuse a small wave face with slack water. |
| Snapper Rocks / Kirra reef | Rocky border point and reef | 2-6 m | Crowded surf point, early only | Southern point near the NSW border | Bream, snapper and drummer are listed. The local note calls out very crowded surf, so the realistic window is early and quiet. |
Do you need a licence to spearfish on the Gold Coast?
No general recreational fishing licence is required for the Gold Coast because it is in Queensland. Do not carry the NSW fee rule north across the border. That said, no licence does not mean open season. Spearfishing is banned in all inland waters, Marine National Park and Sanctuary zones are full no-take, and fish are not taken on scuba in Queensland. If you cross into NSW after diving Snapper Rocks, the licence and fee setting changes. Plan by the state line.
Can you spearfish at Burleigh Heads?
Burleigh Heads is one of the cleaner local answers because the spot description gives reef around the headland, boulders in 3-8 m, and entry off the rocks below the national-park walk. It is still a point reef on an open coast. The local exposure makes east-sector swell the problem, with worst direction around 120 degrees. If the point is washing, the legal answer does not matter much. Use the Burleigh cam and pick small swell with low crowd pressure.
Where are the best spearfishing spots on the Gold Coast?
For the Gold Coast, the useful trio is Burleigh for boulders and headland reef, Currumbin / Elephant Rock for shallow reef beside the Alley, and Snapper Rocks / Kirra for the southern rocky point. The differences matter. Currumbin has a tidal-current warning. Snapper has a crowd warning. Burleigh has the best defined rock entry. None has a published safety score, and none should be treated as a fallback when the surf is running from the east or south-east.
Gold Coast water conditions visibility spearfishing today
The city is unusually well served by council beach cameras. The camera set includes live or checked views for Burleigh Heads, Currumbin, Snapper Rocks / Rainbow Bay, Narrowneck and Point Danger, with Palm Beach and the Seaway flagged for later live checks. Use those feeds to read whitewater, beach colour and crowding before checking forecasts. Without a local buoy feed, camera and swell direction carry extra weight.
Is the shark risk high on the Gold Coast?
The local risk flag is moderate. That is enough to change behaviour around burley, poor visibility, creek mouths and fish on the float, but no sharper species-by-species safety rating is published. Keep the take selective and tidy. If Currumbin Alley is dirty or the point is full of bait and wash, choose another day rather than trying to out-argue the conditions.
FAQ
Do you need a licence to spearfish on the Gold Coast?
No general recreational fishing licence is required in Queensland, but all Queensland gear, size, bag and closed-area rules still apply.
Can you spearfish at Burleigh Heads?
Burleigh Heads is listed as a reef and boulder mark in 3-8 m, entered from rocks below the national-park walk, subject to conditions and zones.
Where are the best spearfishing spots on the Gold Coast?
The local trio is Burleigh Heads, Currumbin / Elephant Rock, and Snapper Rocks / Kirra reef.
How is the water visibility on the Gold Coast today?
Use the council beach cameras first. Several Gold Coast cams were live or checked at last review, while no local buoy feed is supplied for the city.
Is the shark risk high on the Gold Coast?
The local shark-risk flag is moderate. Treat dirty water, creek mouths and fish on the float with caution.
Do you need a fishing licence to spearfish in Queensland?
No general recreational licence is required in Queensland.
Is spearfishing on scuba allowed in Queensland?
No. Australian state rules for Queensland expressly ban taking fish on scuba.
What are the size and bag limits in Queensland?
Sizes and limits are state rules. Check Fisheries Queensland before diving, especially for snapper and reef fish.
Sources
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Coming soon
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