Gold Coast Seaway
The Seaway is the front door to the Gold Coast Broadwater, and on this stretch of coast it's the all-weather entrance most of us plan our passages around. Two rock walls run out between The Spit (Nerang Head) on the south side and Porpoise Point, the bottom tip of South Stradbroke Island, on the north. Inside, the water opens out around Wave Break Island and splits into channels running up to Runaway Bay and down to Southport and the Main Beach marinas. It's well marked, well served and busy. It also has a bar, and it can bite on the ebb.
- 1Seaway entrance · Designated coastal bar. Breakwater lights Fl G 4s (N) and Fl R 4s (S).
- 2Gold Coast Seaway Tower · Volunteer-crewed tower (CG & VMR Southport). VHF 16, 67, 73.
- 3North Wave Break Island anchorage · Gazetted 6-knot anchorage zone (approx. position).
- 4West of Wave Break Island · Anchorage symbol on the MSQ map (approx.).
- 5Marine Stadium / Marine Rescue Southport · Anchoring restricted under GCWA notice to 31 Mar 2027.
- 624-hour anchoring zone · Marked by three yellow buoys (approx. centre).
- 7Coast Guard Southport · Base at the mouth of Loders Creek.
- 8Marina Mirage · Berths ~12–70+ m by enquiry.
- 9Mantaray Marina · Opened 1 Aug 2026 (approx. position).
- 10Ex-Mariner's Cove (closed) · Being rebuilt as Main Beach Superyacht Marina (late 2026).
- 11Loders Creek ramp · Public boat ramp.
- 12Labrador ramp (Grand Hotel jetty) · Public boat ramp.
At a glance
| What it is | Trained entrance to the Nerang River and the Broadwater. A designated coastal bar under Queensland law |
| Official chart | AHO Aus 814 (the chart MSQ's Seaway notices refer to) |
| Lifejackets on the bar | Compulsory for everyone aged 1 and over in an open boat, or in an open part of any boat |
| Conditions and log-on | Gold Coast Seaway Tower, VHF 16, 67 or 73 |
| Tide reference | Gold Coast Seaway, HAT 2.03 m (MSQ) |
| Time limits | Anchoring limits apply across the whole area. See Anchoring |
| Last checked | 16 October 2026 |
Approach from sea
Most of the offshore approach is open sandy coast, and the Seaway walls stand out clearly once you're close. The northern breakwater head shows a green light (Fl G 4s) and the southern head a red one (Fl R 4s). Inside the walls there's a second green and red pair, also flashing every four seconds.
South of the entrance, the sand bypass jetty runs nearly half a kilometre out from the ocean beach. ⚠ As at September 2026, MSQ has put a temporary flashing yellow light on its seaward end. Give it room. Pumps hanging off the jetty push sand under the Seaway to South Stradbroke, mostly at night and on weekends, and the pipeline crosses the entrance inside the walls.
Just outside the area, south-east of the entrance, a wave-measuring buoy (flashing yellow) went in during June 2026. If you're carrying an older copy of the US Sailing Directions (NGA Pub. 127), note that its text still describes the old natural river mouth from before the Seaway was built. Ignore that bit.
Bar and tide notes
- Seaway Tower: VHF 16, 67 or 73, or phone (07) 5591 2948, to log on and for conditions
- MRQ Southport East (The Spit): monitors VHF 16, 67, 73 and 82; phone (07) 5591 1300
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
The Seaway opened in 1986, and the walls were angled about 15° north of east to cut down the swell getting in. It's a far kinder entrance than the old Southport bar was. Still, the sand never stops moving:
- The shoal. ⚠ Dated (March 2025). MSQ reported a shoal on the eastern side of the entrance that was creeping north across the centre-line leads. Seas break across it once the swell gets above about 1.4 m, and sometimes on the ebb. The survey then found least depths of 3.1 m (255° leads) and 3.7 m (291° leads) below LAT.
- Since then. MSQ issued "changed depths" warnings for the Seaway and approaches in March and July 2026 but published no new figures. Treat the 2025 numbers as history, not a plan.
- The leads. The MSQ boating map shows two lead lines: a centre line at 255° T through the middle of the entrance, and a "bar clearance" line at 291° T coming in from the east-south-east past the northern wall. We don't publish the positions or characteristics of the lead marks, and current depths on either line aren't in our sources. Use Aus 814 and what the Tower tells you.
- The ebb. The MSQ map warns that strong tidal flows run in the Seaway, especially on the ebb, and MSQ's bar advice is not to cross on a run-out tide. Our sources give no tidal stream rates, so plan around the flood and slack water and ask the Tower.
- Dredging. ⚠ Time-sensitive. A dredge worked the entrance from late August to 20 September 2026. From 19 October to 23 December 2026 the dredge Discovery and bed-levelling vessels are working the North and South Channels, mostly by day, carrying sand out through the entrance. Slow down, keep clear and keep your wash down.
- Before you go. Check the MSQ Southport notices to mariners, call the Seaway Tower for conditions, and log on and off with your local volunteer marine rescue unit. Get lifejackets on before you reach the bar, not on it.
Inside: picking your channel
Once you're through the walls, the channel forks around Wave Break Island:
- North Channel (beacons N1 to N4 in this patch) heads up the Broadwater towards Runaway Bay and Paradise Point. Its lit beacons flash in sync.
- South Channel (S1 to S12) hugs the inside of The Spit, past Marine Stadium and the Marine Rescue base, down to Southport and the Main Beach marinas. These lights are synchronised too.
- Labrador Channel follows the mainland shore past Labrador, with a 6-knot zone along the stretch down to about Central Street.
Things to keep an eye out for: seaplanes use parts of this area; the Sea World heliport wants 30 m clearance; and there's a steady stream of jet-ski tours, hire boats, cruise boats and the Hopo ferry around Southport and Main Beach. ⚠ As at October 2026, three sunk or half-sunk boats are marked with flashing yellow lights: off the Broadwater Parklands (October 2026), on Carters Bank north of Wave Break Island (July 2026) and in the Labrador Channel off Biggera Waters (January 2026). Biggera Creek and Loders Creek are 6-knot waters with low footbridges, one at the mouth of Loders Creek showing just 0.9 m above HAT, and overhead power lines, so they're for dinghies and small runabouts.
Anchoring
The MSQ boating map shows anchorage symbols in three places:
- North of Wave Break Island, towards Carters Bank. This is a gazetted 6-knot zone known as the North Wave Break Island anchorage. Watch for the marked half-sunk boat on Carters Bank nearby.
- West of Wave Break Island, near the blue steering-mark light and the channel south of the island.
- Marine Stadium, on the inside of The Spit by the Marine Rescue base. ⚠ A Gold Coast Waterways Authority notice runs from 31 March 2026 to 31 March 2027. It bans anchoring and mooring in the stadium's approach channel and around the jetty and pontoon, and keeps powered boats out of its recreation area altogether. Short stays at the jetty (up to 20 minutes) are allowed. The map's anchor symbol is older than the notice, so check the notice map before you drop the pick here.
There's also a 24-hour anchoring zone marked by three yellow buoys in the South Channel and Carters Basin area. Further south, just past this patch, anchoring has been banned in the Southport mega-yacht swing basin since January 2025.
Wave Break Island itself is man-made (built in 1985) and only reachable by water. There's no camping or accommodation on it. Its beaches include the "keyhole" on the western side.
Time limits (Waterways Management Regulation, as at June 2026). Roughly, from south to north:
- Southern end, south of a line running east from the boat ramp near the Southport Olympic pool (plus Biggera Creek, Loders Creek and canals): no more than 24 hours in any 30 days.
- From there up to a line through the north-east tip of Wave Break Island: no more than 7 days in a row in any 60.
- North of that line: no more than 7 days in any 60 within 1 nautical mile of the one spot.
- Nowhere within 30 m of a jetty, pontoon or other approved structure. Living aboard is capped at 7 days in any 60 within 3 nautical miles of one spot, unless you're in a marina with toilets and showers.
The authority's own plain-English version draws its boundaries at Burrows Street, Biggera Waters, and the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, which isn't quite the same as the regulation's wording. If you're close to a line, assume the stricter rule.
Depths, holding and shelter for each anchorage aren't in our sources yet. That's skipper's-notes territory, and it's coming.
Skipper's notes
Garry's own observations from deliveries through Gold Coast Seaway. First-hand notes, dated, and no substitute for the chart.
- Depth
- [Garry to add: depths seen, state of tide and date.]
- Holding
- [Garry to add: bottom type and how the anchor held.]
- Shelter
- [Garry to add: wind directions it is good or bad in.]
- Other notes
- [Garry to add: anything else worth knowing, with date.]
Notes last updated: [date]
Facilities
Marinas. The south end is in a state of change, so ring ahead:
- Marina Mirage (Main Beach): berths from about 12 m to over 70 m by enquiry, single- and three-phase power, amenities, helipad and a Hopo ferry stop. ⚠ An MSQ pump-out map from 2019 lists no pump-out here.
- Mantaray Marina (Main Beach): opened 1 August 2026, with 67 berths for boats from 10 m to 60 m, casual daily stays up to 12-month leases, and security and parking.
- Mariner's Cove: closed. ⚠ As at September 2026, the site is being rebuilt as Main Beach Superyacht Marina (66 berths, up to 73 m), slated to open in late 2026. Operators that listed Mariner's Cove as their base may have moved.
- Imperial Hotel Gold Coast Marina and the Bayview Harbour basin (north-west corner) are mapped, but we haven't confirmed their visitor services.
- Southport Yacht Club is just south of this area. We couldn't confirm its visitor details.
Marine services nearby. KNP Marine (outboard sales and servicing, plus boat and jet-ski licence courses), Surf Coast Marine (boats and outboard servicing), Propeller Repairs Australia and Aqua Adventures (dive, tours and hire) are all on the Southport side. We found no chandler, haul-out, hardstand, rigger or sailmaker inside this patch. For haul-out, look to the Coomera yards or Runaway Bay.
Rescue. The Seaway Tower, on Nerang Head at the southern side of the entrance, is crewed by volunteers from Coast Guard and VMR Southport. Marine Rescue Southport has its base on The Spit, and Coast Guard Southport sits at the mouth of Loders Creek. Channels and hours are on their own sites (see Official links).
Fuel, water and pump-out
- Fuel. The MSQ boating maps show fuel at Howards Landing on the Southport foreshore and at Mariner's Cove. With Mariner's Cove closed, don't count on it. Operators, fuel types and hours for both are unconfirmed. The nearest fuel we could confirm from an operator's own site is the Runaway Bay Marina fuel jetty (diesel, unleaded and premium unleaded), a short run up the North Channel.
- Pump-out. ⚠ As at 2019, Mariner's Cove had a public pump-out. Whether anything is working there now is unknown. Please don't pump overboard in the Broadwater.
- Water. No confirmed tap for visiting boats in this area yet.
Boat ramps
Public ramps are marked at Loders Creek (by Coast Guard Southport), two on The Spit near the Marine Rescue base, the Broadwater Tourist Park at Southport, and Labrador near the Grand Hotel jetty. There's also a slipway on Biggera Creek. Lanes, parking, fees and tide limits aren't confirmed.
Rules in brief
- Designated coastal bar. Lifejackets on for the crossing (see above).
- Smooth-water limits run across the outer ends of the Seaway walls, so the Broadwater is inside them.
- Speed. 6 knots in canals, boat harbours, marinas, Biggera and Loders creeks, the Labrador Channel zone, the southern Broadwater into the marina precinct, and the North Wave Break Island anchorage. Elsewhere inside smooth-water limits the default is 40 knots unless signed otherwise. There's an extra 6-knot zone around Wave Break Island over the Australia Day long weekend.
- Sand bypass jetty. ⚠ As at October 2026 it's closed to the public until the end of 2026 for maintenance.
- Shark-control gear. Stay out of the 20 m exclusion zone around any shark-control apparatus.
Ashore
The Southport side has the Broadwater Parklands and the Southport Pier, and the Main Beach side has the Marina Mirage precinct and Sea World. The Hopo ferry links the Broadwater Parklands (Southport Pier), Sea World and Marina Mirage, which makes it handy for getting about without the tender. Whale-watching cruises run from Southport and Main Beach in season (about June to early November).
What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. ⚠ As at 18 October 2026: we haven't confirmed each place is still trading, so check before you walk.
From 24-hour anchoring zone (anchorage)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Vinnies Dive Bar | Bar | 820 m | 44a Nerang Street |
| Cecil Hotel | Pub | 820 m | 42 Nerang Street, Southport QLD 4215 |
| Last Night on Earth | Bar | 880 m | 50B Nerang Street, 4215 |
| Mr PePe's | Bar | 1000 m | – |
| Southport Bowls Club | Bowls club | 1000 m | – |
| The Railway Hotel | Pub | 1.2 km | – |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| The Fish Shak | Cafe | 420 m | – |
| Shak Espresso | Cafe | 440 m | – |
| Galaxy Seafood and Mediterranean Restaurant | Restaurant | 530 m | – |
| La Star | Restaurant | 620 m | – |
| KFC | Takeaway | 670 m | – |
| McDonald's | Takeaway | 670 m | – |
| Ideal Kebab | Takeaway | 670 m | – |
| Broadway Food Court | Takeaway | 680 m | – |
| plus 50 more within the walk | |||
| Entertainment | |||
| AquaSplash Inflatable Water Park | Attraction | 550 m | Marine Parade, Southport QLD 4215 |
| Event Cinemas | Cinema | 920 m | – |
| Gold Coast Little Theatre | Theatre | 1.1 km | 21a Scarborough Street, Southport |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Nguyen's Market | Supermarket | 930 m | – |
| Coles | Supermarket | 950 m | – |
| Australia Fair Metro | Shopping centre | 960 m | – |
| Australia Fair Shopping Centre | Shopping centre | 980 m | 42 Marine Parade, Southport QLD 4215 |
| Woolworths | Supermarket | 980 m | – |
| Lucky 7 | Convenience store | 1000 m | – |
| plus 2 more within the walk | |||
From Loders Creek ramp (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| David Fungs | Restaurant | 240 m | – |
| Frigg | Cafe | 290 m | 10 Frank Street, Labrador QLD 4215 |
| Subway | Takeaway | 350 m | – |
| McDonald's | Takeaway | 360 m | – |
| Papercup Coffee | Cafe | 360 m | Robert Street |
| D Point Ten | Cafe | 450 m | – |
| Vinnie's Italian Restaurant | Restaurant | 450 m | – |
| Crust | Takeaway | 460 m | – |
| plus 12 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| fast & ezy | Convenience store | 350 m | – |
| Quickstop | Convenience store | 360 m | – |
| 7-Eleven | Convenience store | 830 m | 78 Frank Street, Labrador QLD 4215 |
| UNIMART | Convenience store | 1.2 km | – |
| Spar | Convenience store | 1.2 km | 31 Musgrave Avenue, Labrador QLD 4215 |
| EZ Mart | Convenience store | 1.2 km | – |
| plus 6 more within the walk | |||
| Marine stores, chandlers and boat services | |||
| Southport Fishing & Dive Centre | Fishing tackle & bait | 850 m | – |
From Marina Mirage / Mantaray Marina (marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Oasis Pool Bar | Bar | 560 m | 71 Sea World Drive |
| Pearls Bar | Bar | 600 m | 71 Sea World Drive |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Glass Dining & Lounge Bar | Restaurant | 130 m | 74 Sea World Drive |
| Omeros Brothers Seafood Restaurant | Restaurant | 160 m | 74 Sea World Drive, Main Beach QLD 4217 |
| Hog's Breath Cafe | Restaurant | 190 m | – |
| Other People's Money | Cafe | 240 m | – |
| Mariners Cove Fish & Chips | Takeaway | 260 m | – |
| Jack’s Coffee Roasters | Cafe | 280 m | – |
| Sunset Waterfront Grill | Restaurant | 280 m | – |
| Gods of the Sea | Restaurant | 310 m | – |
| plus 8 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Fishermans Local Liquor Bottle Shop | Bottle shop | 140 m | – |
| Peter's Fish Market | Seafood shop | 520 m | 120 Sea World Drive, Main Beach QLD 4217 |
| Marine stores, chandlers and boat services | |||
| Gold Coast Jet Ski Safaris | Jet-ski hire and tours † | 240 m | – |
From Labrador ramp (Grand Hotel jetty) (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Koconut Willy's | Restaurant | 210 m | – |
| 3 Sixty Restaurant Bar | Restaurant | 240 m | 360 Marine Parade |
| Yum Siam Thai Restaurant | Restaurant | 390 m | 300 Marine Parade, 4215 |
| CAFE 4 U | Cafe | 390 m | 300 Marine Parade, Labrador 4215 |
| Sea and Shore Restaurant | Restaurant | 400 m | – |
| Enzos | Restaurant | 400 m | – |
| Matsuzaka Teppanyaki | Restaurant | 410 m | 4/300 Marine Parade, Labrador 4215 |
| The Lazy Lobster Steak & Seafood Restaurant | Restaurant | 420 m | 2/300 Marine Parade, 4215 |
| plus 6 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Charis Seafoods | Seafood shop | 170 m | 371 Marine Parade |
| The Grand Hotel Liquor Shop | Bottle shop | 280 m | – |
| Butter Bodega | Convenience store | 500 m | – |
| Marine stores, chandlers and boat services | |||
| Surf Coast Marine | Boat dealer and outboard service † | 1.1 km | – |
From Marine Stadium / Marine Rescue Southport (anchorage)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Lobby Lounge High Tea | Restaurant | 500 m | – |
| The Melrose Restaurant | Restaurant | 570 m | – |
| Hatsuhana Japanese Restaurant | Restaurant | 570 m | – |
| Shoreline Restaurant | Restaurant | 620 m | – |
| Waterfall Cafe | Cafe | 630 m | – |
Nothing mapped within the 15-minute walk of: North Wave Break Island anchorage; West of Wave Break Island.
† From our own marine business directory (live directory listings and business websites checked 16 October 2026), not OpenStreetMap; walk measured the same way from the listed position. Where no street address was published, only the suburb or nothing is shown.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 18 October 2026.
About this page
This page is a planning aid written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. It is not for navigation. Use the official AHO chart, current MSQ notices to mariners, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.
Official links
Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.
- MSQ notices to mariners, Southport (current list)
- BoM observations: Gold Coast Seaway
- Gold Coast Waterways Authority: anchoring and mooring
- Gold Coast Seaway Tower (volunteer site)
- MSQ: crossing a coastal bar (safety advice)
- Queensland notices to mariners, all areas (subscribe)
- MSQ Queensland tide tables
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
- Bureau of Meteorology: Queensland coastal waters forecasts
Sources & credits
Written in fresh words from the facts in the Hartshorne Marine Sailing Directions area guide for the Gold Coast Seaway (16 October 2026 edition, Ashore data added 18 October 2026). Local sources include the Gold Coast Seaway Tower volunteer site and Club Marine (September 2026). Every fact here traces to a cited public source. Where a source is dated we say so.
Maritime Safety Queensland. Contains Maritime Safety Queensland data (Beacon to Beacon guide, notices to mariners, nav-aid open data, pump-out map C2-335, speed-limit schedule, tide information) © State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts restated and summarised in our own words. Not endorsed by MSQ or TMR.
Queensland legislation. Transport Operations (Marine Safety) Regulation 2016 and Transport Infrastructure (Waterways Management) Regulation 2012 © State of Queensland, CC BY 4.0. Summarised; the authorised versions at legislation.qld.gov.au prevail.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are out of date; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles and some facility positions © OpenStreetMap contributors, data available under the Open Database Licence (ODbL).
Others. Facts from local authority pages and notices (for example the Gold Coast Waterways Authority), volunteer marine rescue sites and businesses' own websites are cited for fact only and restated in our own words. Listing a business is not an endorsement.
Last checked: 16 October 2026.
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