Surfers on the Gold Coast will not pay to ride waves or face fines for surf rage under a council management plan.

An advisory committee meeting of surfing stakeholders and Gold Coast City Council representatives was held at Palm Beach on Monday night.

Gold Coast Surf Council co-founder Brad Farmer said there had been tensions between the two groups but the meeting was productive.

"Surprisingly cordial - you know, the surf management plan has been a long time coming," he said.

"After the meeting here on the Gold Coast I think we are finally catching the same wave."

Council vows to listen to surfing community

Mr Farmer said relations between the council and surfers were at their worst when board riders were not consulted over a cross-border sand bypass pumping project which choked the iconic Kirra Point surf break.

The pumping program was eventually tweaked and the sand build-up is steadily clearing.

Gold Coast City councillor and surfer Greg Betts said the advisory committee would involve all key stakeholders in the council’s beach management program.

"Communication is the key and people need to know that they're being heard and the issues that they're raising are being considered when we move forward with the projects that we're doing."

The committee will address issues such as beach erosion, sand pumping, surf etiquette and overcrowding at the city’s popular point breaks.

Artificial reefs 'only way to improve surf amenity'

Mr Farmer said several outlandish suggestions had been raised to remedy overcrowding, including a cap on the number of board riders.

"Caps is one thing that has been considered, surf taxes, [being] fined for surf rage, surf police," he said.

Mr Farmer and Councillor Betts both agreed those ideas were now off the table.

Brad Farmer said a surf management plan had been a long time in coming. ( ABC TV News )

"Previously there have been attempts to register boards and have the whole issue policed in that type of way and it didn't work in the past," Councillor Betts said.

"I don’t see that those types of things would work again."

Councillor Betts said it was possible to alleviate overcrowding.

"The only way to move forward to provide surf amenity to more surfers is to come up with ways that we can provide more waves and the only way to do that is through artificial reefs or utilising the way we pump sand to provide better surfing banks," he said.

The advisory committee will meet regularly in coming months and a draft surf management plan is expected to go before council by the middle of next year.

Mr Farmer said it had been a long time coming.

"There's been argy-bargy going on for many years around coastal issues, surfing issues," he said.

"Here at Currumbin, the Gold Coast, is one of the most popular beaches in Australia and yet we don't have a plan of management.

"We have plans for bicycles and weeds and all sorts of things, but where would the Gold Coast be without its surf?"