When Kirra Point turns on, the surfing community worldwide watches in awe.
The legendary Gold Coast pointbreak—one of the most fickle yet perfect waves on the planet—came roaring to life during a recent run of swell, delivering ruler-edged barrels that ran endlessly. The sessions drew a who’s who of local chargers, while countless surfers watched from the shoreline, as wave after wave reeled down the sand-bottom point.
Former professional surfer turned surf school operator James Woods was there to capture it all. Between filming the action and snagging a few gems himself, Woods documented one of Kirra’s finest days in recent memory.
But one wave, in particular, stole the show.
Longtime Gold Coast surfboard shaper Sam Yoon, the craftsman behind Flying Soul Surfboards, threaded an impossibly long tube that quickly spread across social media. Many surfers were already calling it the “barrel of the year.”
Woods was certainly among the admirers.
“Probably my favorite wave I witnessed,” he said. “Sam Yoon from Flying Soul Surfboards, on an absolute dreamboat of a wave. This guy shapes and rides his own boards. He’s the last of a dying breed, and surfs with a style that is reminiscent of the eighties. I absolutely love to watch this guy surf.”
Check it out:
The praise wasn’t just about the length of the ride.
Yoon’s smooth, unhurried approach stood out in an era increasingly dominated by aerials and high-performance surfing. Every bottom turn, trim line, and stall looked effortless, echoing the flowing style that defined Kirra’s golden era during the 1970s and ’80s.
That’s fitting, because few waves have shaped surfing history quite like Kirra.
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For decades, the point has produced some of the longest, fastest, and most technically demanding barrels in the world. When the banks align and the swell arrives from just the right angle, the wave transforms into an endless conveyor belt of turquoise cylinders.
This latest swell was one of those rare moments.
For a lucky handful of surfers—and everyone watching online—it was a reminder of why Kirra remains one of surfing’s most revered waves.
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