Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Back in the day Kirra was considered unsurfable. It was too fast and too critical, and would grind along the sandbar off Kirra Point, unridden. Then longboards became shortboards, and the inner depths of Kirra’s sand dredging tubes started to be explored. Pretty soon after, Kirra became recognised as the best sand bottom barrel in the world.
Kirra has¬ two sections, Big Groin and Little Groin. Starting at Big Groin the swell lines transform to gurgling sand filled tubes that mach down the line over an almost dry sandbar, hollow from start to finish. Making it to Little Groin takes a lot of speed and barrels so deep and heavy your life may never be the same again.
Kirra is now the tail end of The Superbank and while the rest of The Superbank improved in quality, many considered Kirra perfect already and say it no longer breaks as well. That being said it still breaks with mechanical intensity and may have only been downgraded from the best sand bottom barrel to a damn good one.
Kirra needs a proper ground swell to really fire up. In a good year, February or March will see Kirra jump to life with a northeast or easterly cyclone swell, otherwise April to September it will work with decent southeast ground swells.
With The Superbank right next door and Kirra’s surf legend status crowds are a given, but the ever present sweep down the line and subsequent run back around the headland keeps the crowd rotating.
Kirra is part of the Gold Coast, in the south east corner of Queensland, Australia. The Gold Coast has an international airport which Kirra is only a few minutes drive from. The coast road passes directly in front of the wave. If it’s breaking it is hard to miss.
(Image from Flickr user kriis__xx)
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