Tropical Cyclone Alfred: Gold Coast locals prepare for ‘unknown’ ahead of ‘once in a lifetime event’

One of the Gold Coast’s most experienced lifesavers and surf sports coaches has described the impending arrival of Cyclone Alfred as “a once in a lifetime event”, while surf lifesaving clubs warn their members to stay away.

Unprecedented swells are rolling into the eastern seaboard stretch of coastline from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast down to as far south as Coffs Harbour on the NSW mid-north coast of NSW.

Prolific surf sports-winning surf club, BMD Northcliffe on the Gold Coast, has had to take extraordinary measures to keep their members and the public safe amid the potential carnage ahead of the cyclone’s landfall at around 2am on Friday.

Some of the world’s best ironmen and ironwomen who are also patrolling surf lifesavers have been told to stay away as the massive waves surge toward beach-side frontage — making competition at the Queensland Surf Lifesaving titles impossible this weekend.

The surf club has been closed and all non-essential members and staff have been told to steer clear of the facility.

“This is a great unknown really,” said Northcliffe Surf Sports manager Paul Wotherspoon.

“For most of us, this is an event we have never seen before.

“I have been living on the Gold Coast for 44 years, have been at the beach for most of that time and never seen a storm move from a Category One to a Category Two cyclone that will hit this strip.

“We have never had to prepare for a cyclone before like our friends in North Queensland and this time we are right in the firing line.”

After the famed Waverider buoy situated in the Coral Sea recorded waves at over 16m earlier in the week the eastern seaboard coastline has been experiencing some of the biggest and cleanest surf swell in history as big wave riders lap brave the ocean for the perfect ‘barrel’.

Three time world champion Mick Fanning has been spotted surfing monster waves at Kirra Point, ironically ahead of his own family preparing for the onslaught of rain, wind and flooding at the southern end of the Gold Coast.

“It’s the biggest and cleanest swell I have ever seen and it may end up the biggest ever recorded,” Mr Wotherspoon added.

World surf lifesaving champions from the Northcliffe Club including Matt Bevilacqua, Zach Morris, Lana Rogers and Georgia Fitzsimmons are bunkering down while in the final stages of preparation for the Australian titles, ironically due to be held at Kirra later this month.

“Safety is obviously our main priority for athletes even though they are some of the best at what they do in the surf,” Mr Wotherspoon said.

“Surf Lifesaving Queensland have swift response rescue teams and they will be on standby now until the emergency threat is over.

“Even the Gold Coast canals which are set back from the beach itself will fill up and we expect a fair amount of debris to be floating in there in the week ahead.”