Situated north of Point Danger, Rainbow Bay is a favourite with families and holidaymakers. It's also the gateway to Snapper Rocks where you can find the best point break barrels on a south-easterly swell. The framed right-hand. sand-bottom point break commonly referred to as the “Superbank” is home to world-surfing champions Stephanie Gilmore and Joel Parkinson.
One of the best vantage points to watch the surf is from the Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club. A perch on the balcony rewards you with views all along the point towards Burleigh and Surfers Paradise in the distance.
Beach usage
Every beach along our coastline is unique and used for many different activities, such as swimming, surfing and walking the dog. We've been working to understand which beaches are our most popular and how each is used by our community and visitors.
Rainbow Bay is one of the top 5 busiest beaches on the Gold Coast, attracting more than 100,000 tourists and local residents each year. It is close to major commercial and high density residential hubs.
Rainbow Bay is a renowned surf spot, with 50% of visitors to the beach coming to surf.
Surfing
Rainbow Bay is part of the World Surfing Reserve and is the city's most famous point break. The surf break at Rainbow bay is fast paced and generally attracts experienced board riders. Greenmount offers a slower paced section of the southern point break and is better suited to beginner and intermediate board riders. Visit our Beach cameras page for the latest beach conditions.
Swimming
The shape and orientation of Rainbow Bay provides beach users with protection from southerly winds. Make sure you swim between the red and yellow flags which indicate that the beach is patrolled! Rainbow Bay has a patrolled lifeguard tower at Snapper Rocks Road, in front of Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club. This section of beach is patrolled between 8am and 5pm every day, all year round.
Please note all beaches are patrolled during Queensland school holidays.
For more information download our Beach patrol information sheet(PDF, 1MB)
Facilities
Rainbow Bay beach is surrounded by parklands that contain toilets, barbecues, tables, shade structures and beach showers. Designated oceanway also passes next to the beach and also features a bike park.
Rainbow Bay has the following facilities for beachgoers:
Getting there
Parking: There's a car park at the surf club and plenty of on-street parking available in side streets. Be sure to take note of any applicable parking signs and/or line markings before heading to the beach. Please note our beaches can get very busy on weekends and during school holidays which reduces the amount of available parking in the area.
Public transport: Translink buses run along Griffith Street, past neighbouring Coolangatta Beach. Use Translink's journey planner to plot your trip to the beach.
Active travel: Use our walking and cycling maps for the Southern Gold Coast and surrounds to plan your walk, run or bike ride to the beach.