Breaks survive beating

GOLD Coast surf breaks smashed by 3m swells for four days have held up to the beating, say boardriders.

While sandbanks at local breaks are usually ripped up by waves from cyclones that pass close to the Gold Coast, the clean, long-period swell from Tropical Cyclone Gita out in the Pacific at the weekend kept them in good condition, according to surfing reporter Terry “Tappa’’ Teece.

“The waves came in as long straight lines from the easterly swell,” Mr Teece said. “When swells come in from northeast with a shorter period, that’s when banks are ripped up.”

Mr Teece said the stormdriven swell had removed sand from the banks off Burleigh and stripped it from the top of the banks at Snapper Rocks.

“It should all sort itself out pretty quickly when they turn the sand pumps (from the Tweed sand bypass) on ahead of the Quiksilver Pro,” Mr Teece said. The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro events take pleace at Snapper Rocks next month.

Mayor Tom Tate said the $14 million sand dredging project last year helped protect the Gold Coast’s open beaches.

He said rather than the Gold Coast dodging a bullet, “we’ve basically blocked a bullet” because the three million cubic metres of sand dumped just off beaches had decreased the impact from powerful waves at the weekend.

With the swell dropping off to about 1.5m yesterday, lifeguards reopened beaches after closures at the weekend.

Beachgoers were warned to keep a watch for sharks because some nets were temporarily removed ahead of the big swell. Queensland shark control program manager Jeff Krause said the nets and drum lines would be returned by tomorrow or Friday.