When it comes to good waves on the Goldy it's all about the sand: how much and in what shape?

After an over-active surf season last year the focus for Gold Coast surfing, the Superbank, lay in tatters, the sand stripped and misshapen. Winter and spring usually see the sand start to build on the points though the sand that rounded Point Danger was nowhere near enough to fill the gaps. An extended period of northerly winds turned the flow into a trickle.

But the winds have turned and so have the fortunes of Snapper Rocks. A bank built up at Froggies a month ago and the grains are beginning to drift down and around. Fortunately it's happening just in time for the surf season and the Gold Coast's marquee surf event, the Quiksilver Pro.

Matt Robertson took a look at the shifting sands at Snapper. He also grabbed a few shots of a break just south. //STUART NETTLE