TORI ZEIDLER
Gold Coast’s amazing beaches have taken out the top spot this year beating both Noosa Beach and Guarda Do Embau in Brazil for a position on the World Surfing Reserves list.
Each World Surfing Reserve is selected on four criteria; the quality and consistency of waves; their environmental characteristics; their surf culture and history, and their local support.
Environment Minister, Dr Steven Miles, said he was “stoked” that Queensland had been given two shots to be nominated a World Surfing Reserve.
“It is well known worldwide that Queensland is one of the greatest places to visit if you’re a surfer,” Mr Miles said.
Beaches nominated as World Surfing Reserves put pressure on local and state governments to take measures to ensure the protection of the waves, beaches and dunes that create the wave formation.
Save the Waves, executive director, Nik Strong-Cvetich said that this year it was hard to pick a winner and that they had received three extraordinarily high quality applications.
“The Gold Coast’s combination of perfect point breaks and world champions was a deciding factor in winning the approval for 2016,” Mr Strong-Cvetich said.
Surfing on the Gold Coast is a $1.4 billion industry supporting 20,000 jobs.
Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve chairman, Andrew McKinnon, pitched the prospect of a dual nomination to the selection panel.
McKinnon said he had been hopeful the two areas would set a precedent.
“Noosa and the Gold Coast both have an excellent case, unfortunately both have gone head to head. That’s the nature of the game. Both have so much to offer and the best point breaks in the world.”
Gold Coast has now become the world’s eighth surfing reserve joining Malibu, California; Manly Beach, Australia; Ericeira, Portugal; Huanchaco, Peru; Bahia Todos Santos, Baja California, Mexico and Punta de Lobos, Chile.
