- WSL / Matt Dunbar

The Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast, one of three Australian Grand Slam events in the Countdown Series, is due to go down on South Stradbroke Island between 1 September and 31 October.

It's the first time a surfing event has been held on the sand island known as Minjerribah by Indigenous Australians or "Straddie" by Gold Coast surfers. History will be made, as competitive action comes to one of the world's best beachbreaks.

South Stradbroke Island AGSS South Stradbroke Island - WSL / Andrew Shield

How To Watch

The Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast will be webcast LIVE on worldsurfleague.com, the WSL app, WSL YouTube and Facebook pages as well.

For those in Australia or New Zealand, the event will also be broadcast on Australia's Channel 7, Fox Sports Australia (Kayo) and Sky Sport New Zealand:

Fox Sports (Linear) and Kayo:

October 6 0700-1500 AEST
October 7 0700-1100 AEST

Channel 7 (7Mate and 7Plus):

October 6 - 0700-1000 AEST
October 7 - 0700-1000 AEST

*Entire event on 7Plus

Sky Sport NZ
0900 NZT start both days- entirely on linear

Who Is CT Ready?

As we continue to build up towards the return of the Championship Tour in 2021, the Countdown Series has afforded everyone the time and space to get back into their competitive mindsets.

At the recent Tweed Coast Pro, it was obvious that World Champions such as winner Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gilmore has lost none of their drive, while some of the new wave such as CT Rookies Matthew McGillivray and Morgan Cibilic were finally afforded a chance to show what they could do against some of the world's best.

There will again be a lot of eyes however on Tweed Coast Pro Men's Winner Ethan Ewing, who was surfing with confidence and authority at Cabarita. Can he back up at South Straddie?

And Jack Robinson is one of the most anticipated CT Rookies in years, and this event will provide another chance to see how he performs under pressure. From what we've seen earlier this year at the Sydney Surf Pro, and at Tweed, he's been putting a lot of work into his small-to-medium wave game.

The field is stacked with CT stars who are getting back into the swing of competition -- this is perfect window into how they'll perform in a few months when the Championship Tour resumes.

Who Will Win The Legends Super Heat?

The Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast will see a blockbuster Legends Super Heat featuring Dean ‘Dingo' Morrison, former Pipe Master Bede Durbidge, World Champion Mark Occhilupo, as well as Brendan Margieson.

Bede Durbidge in the 2019 Australian Boardriders Battle National Final Bede Durbidge - WSL / Blainey Woodham

What Is The Wave Like?

Despite being almost a stone's throw from the Gold Coast proper, South Stradbroke feels almost like another world. An 1800-hectare conservation park, it has sand dunes covered in casuarina that house rare wallabies. Whales often breach just outside the breaking waves, and birds sing in the melaleuca forest.

This is arguably the premier beachbreak on the East Coast of Australia. Swells refract around shallow outer sand banks and then refocus and detonate in hollow sand-bottomed A-frame tubes on the inside. On its day, few beachbreaks can match its spitting peak perfection.

It's consistency is another key factor. The break hoovers in both local windswells and distant groundswells. That means if there is any swell from the east coinciding with offshore winds from the west, Straddie turns on the magic.

Autumn and winter tend to deliver the best sessions. However spring does come loaded with plenty of offshore days. And with only two days needed across a two month waiting period, the chances of scoring remain high.

The aim of these broadcast-only strike missions is to guarantee the best surfing in the best waves possible. With the iconic South Stradbroke Island as a venue, that's just what we'll get.

List Of Scheduled Surfers

Men:
Owen Wright
Wade Carmichael
Matthew McGillivray
Jack Freestone
Ethan Ewing
Connor O'Leary
Mikey Wright
Soli Bailey
Stuart Kennedy
Liam O'Brien
Mitch Crews
Chris Bennetts(Wild Card)

Women:
Stephanie Gilmore
Tyler Wright
Nikki Van Dijk
Isabella Nichols
Macy Callaghan
Keely Andrew
Zahli Kelly
Dimity Stoyle
India Robinson
Sayaka Muramatsu (WIld Card)

World Surf League
Download it for free on the App store. Download it for free on Google Play.