EST. 1987 · MAIN BEACH GOLD COAST
Paddling the Gold Coast since 1987.
Volunteer-run, obsessively paddled, and still based exactly where we started. Main Beach, Gold Coast.
OUR STORY
How it started.
A small group of local paddlers started running regular surf ski sessions in 1987, and almost forty years later we are still here, still putting in at sunrise, having outlasted just about every trend that has come and gone in this sport.
In 2025 we settled at The Paddle House at Muriel Henchman Park, Main Beach. Eleven hire skis on the rack and arguably the best launch point on the Gold Coast: flat Broadwater for the dawn paddle, waves at Wave Break Island when conditions line up, and easy ocean access through the Spit for the more experienced paddlers.
The fleet has changed over the decades. So has the gear, and who you might see at 5:30am on a Tuesday. But the core of it has not moved much. Show up. Paddle. Look out for each other. Coffee after.
We are entirely volunteer-run. No head coach, no commercial operator, no paid staff. Just a committee, a strong group of regulars, and a Saturday morning that has not changed all that much since 1987.
The Gold Coast’s original surf ski club. Still volunteer-run. Still obsessed with the same water.
A club built by paddlers, for paddlers.
Volunteer-run. No commercial agenda. No interest in anything except getting good people onto the water.
WHAT WE ARE
A not-for-profit volunteer club affiliated with Paddle Queensland and Paddle Australia. A group of people who paddle together.
WHAT WE ARE NOT
A gym. A coaching business. A commercial hire company. We are paddlers running a paddling club for other paddlers.
THE CULTURE
Every session is run by members who paddle themselves. The person who sets you up with a hire ski paddled 18km the same morning.
THE COMMITTEE
The people behind it.
Six volunteer committee members who paddle the same water they manage.
PD
PETER DYER
PRESIDENT
Peter manages the club and the hire fleet, and typically runs first-session intros for new paddlers. If you have had a first session with us, you have probably had it with Peter.
GS
GUS SLATTERY
COMMITTEE
Gus has been with the club for many years and paddles most mornings. The person who will answer your email at 6:30am because he has already been out and back.
DP
DOMENIC PANACCIO
COMMITTEE
Dom paddles with two cameras on his ski, one at the front and one at the back. He likes to keep an eye on everything.
MA
MIKE ATKINS
COMMITTEE
Mike took over the monthly Club Update from Peter in 2026. The voice in your inbox each month is his.
SB
SUE BEITH
COMMITTEE
Sue is the person to talk to if you are a woman wondering whether surf ski is for you. She has paddled with GCPC for many years and has introduced more women to the sport than anyone else in the club.
OUR BASE
The Paddle House.
Muriel Henchman Park, Main Beach QLD 4217. On the Spit, north of Sea World, right on the Broadwater. Skis on racks, ramp into the water, flat car park and a bike rack.
The shed has been here since the early days of the club. It is not fancy. It is exactly what it needs to be.
Paddle Queensland AffiliatedPaddle Australia AffiliatedEst. 1987
GET IN TOUCH
Get in touch.
- Emailhello@gcpaddlesports.com.au
- Instagram@gcpaddlesports
- FacebookGold Coast Paddlesports Club
- AddressThe Paddle House, Muriel Henchman Park
Main Beach QLD 4217
We reply within 24 hours. Usually faster — there is always someone who checks email before a dawn session.