Watch: Snapper Rocks Tube Fest

Craig Halstead
Reels

The first proper trade-swell of the season hit the Gold Coast this morning as winds played ball.

Building sets on an incoming tide saw some great tubes from out the back with long running walls through the inside.

Craig Halstead shot this footage at dawn and there's plenty more to come. Check Steve's notes here.

Comments

dlk92's picture
dlk92's picture
dlk92 Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 3:29pm

How's the big boss on the mal at the end!

Maxwell Davies's picture
Maxwell Davies's picture
Maxwell Davies Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 9:08pm

He rides 4ft snapper on a mal and still throws turns, imagine him on 8ft cyclone swell with south winds riding a 7.0 gun

linez's picture
linez's picture
linez Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 5:54pm

Thought the same thing, good on him!

Ape Anonymous's picture
Ape Anonymous's picture
Ape Anonymous Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 5:21pm

Jackson Close, sponsored by Firewire, former World (?) Junior Longboard Champ.

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 5:34pm

Yep, Jackson's wave will flare up the anti hi-po mal brigade.

harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 2:07pm

At least he wears a leggie

tip-top1's picture
tip-top1's picture
tip-top1 Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 6:23pm

nice waves , nice subtle foot movements on the mal , nice to watch even from a shortboarder

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 6:49pm

When I randomly tuned in to the web cam sometime mid dayish +/-
Sorry didn’t take note of the exact time.
Green mount cam.
Goofy footer, came from out of screen at snapper in the tube then rode it all the way to the bottom of screen at greeny.

Full leg burner, that he claimed as such. Like “I’m so cooked right now I just got a hell long barrel and did a gazillion turns”

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 6:54pm

I saw that too! Old mate could hardly stand by the end, you’d just go in for a beer after that one

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 7:09pm

Yeh haha, he almost lost it trying to get around the last section of whitewater which I think was purely for the purposes of seeing how far he could ride it.

You grab a time stamp?

Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67's picture
Surfalot67 Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 7:16pm

No sadly, was at work and killing time trying to spot my young fella in all the madness :)

mr mick's picture
mr mick's picture
mr mick Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 6:58pm

1: 46 , first cab off the rank for village idiots compilation 2024

Maxwell Davies's picture
Maxwell Davies's picture
Maxwell Davies Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 9:10pm

I do bottom turn getting barrelled, then 2 turns and my legs are burning lol

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 10:19pm

Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68's picture
Rabbits68 Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 2:45pm

Such a sick wave but threading that crowd! There must be some sketchy collisions on most days.

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Friday, 12 Jan 2024 at 10:36pm

I can honestly say I have never surfed snapper to kirra so Fcking crowded as it was this afternoon. Crowd was thick as Fck all the way along the entire stretch. Fcking circus.

harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:40am

But did u get a wave?

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:45am

I wouldn’t really call them waves when you have to dodge 100’s of people whilst trying to ride it.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:47am

Why’d you go out Don?

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:50am

I’m not going to give too much away about how I surf that place but let’s just say before I paddled out there was opportunities.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:55am

Fairy nuff

ashsam's picture
ashsam's picture
ashsam Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:58am

not much dodging in sprouts vid above

donweather's picture
donweather's picture
donweather Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 1:16pm

Let’s just say that was a different time of day to when I was there.

harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr's picture
harrycoopr Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 2:12pm

I remember camping in Greenmount hill carpark some 30 years ago so i could hit the surf at 5am... thought I'd be first one out. Could barely see but someone greeted me when i made it out . 30 years ago!

ashsam's picture
ashsam's picture
ashsam Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 1:56pm

dodgy don has it wired lol

quokka's picture
quokka's picture
quokka Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 3:14pm

I love how they all sit on the peel line of the wave too, looks like a shitfight. Have never surfed it, can't they paddle wide or is the sweep too heavy?

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 3:20pm

They’re all waiting to swoop for when someone falls or for the sneaky insiders that drain and grow.

quokka's picture
quokka's picture
quokka Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 3:32pm

Looks like no one gives a fuck about anyone else out there. I spose you know what you're in for when you paddle out and if don't like it then don't go. Just seems a pity that such a good wave is riddled with cunts. Not for me.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 3:46pm

You can definitely sacrifice some quality for sanity at other point breaks today

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 3:16pm

memlasurf's picture
memlasurf's picture
memlasurf Monday, 15 Jan 2024 at 12:29pm

Geez that guy on his back hand got burnt something shocking.

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 5:44pm

love to know how many people have to go to emergency at the hospital a day.......must be a few,,,,,,,,must be 300 or more out there........

linez's picture
linez's picture
linez Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 6:02pm

It's a big playing field. I remember not too long ago regularly having very fun surfs out there, just not on the main sections.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 7:10pm

?si=erCXN7IWN5gL8yVe

calk's picture
calk's picture
calk Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 8:40pm

From Sheldon Simkus.

My takeaway from this video is the clear faces up towards Snapper. As soon as you hit Little Mali there's people everywhere.

Might have quite a bit to do with the average surfing ability as you move from behind the rock down through Snapper into Little Marli and Rainbow...

channel-bottom's picture
channel-bottom's picture
channel-bottom Saturday, 13 Jan 2024 at 10:23pm
Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Sunday, 14 Jan 2024 at 7:45pm

sacash's picture
sacash's picture
sacash Sunday, 14 Jan 2024 at 8:57pm

I think half the punters out there are just happy to flap about and just be in a position to watch the action as opposed from standing on the rocks

Matlyn878's picture
Matlyn878's picture
Matlyn878 Monday, 15 Jan 2024 at 11:14am

Yawn snapper yawn pro surfers yawn crowded zzzzzz