*Severe Weather, Huge waves force Australian beaches to close*

August 25, 2007 03:36pm
Article from: AAP

GOLD Coast and Sunshine Coast beaches have been closed as waves up to 5
meters high  pound the Queensland coast.

A 21-year-old Brisbane man is in a critical condition after sustaining
spinal injuries when he was dumped by a large wave while boogie boarding
at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast about 11am (AEST) today.

He has been airlifted to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital.

Gold Coast City Council lifeguard superintendent Peter Miller said a
number of "thrill-seekers" had been rescued today.

"People need to respect the power of the surf and weigh up what there is
to gain and risk by venturing out into such dangerous conditions," Mr
Miller said.

"We have had a number of rescues and what appears to be a tragic
accident this morning."

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a severe weather warning for
dangerous surf conditions on the Gold and Sunshine coasts which is
expected to remain until at least tomorrow.

A bureau spokesman said the swells combined with the forecast high tide
of 1.79m around 6pm (AEST) today could generate a tide above the highest
astronomical tide of the year of 2.2m scheduled for later this year.