A group of black swans have been filmed surfing off a beach on Australia's Gold Coast, to the astonishment swimmers.

The birds were spotted paddling near the shore at Kirra, one of Queensland's prime surfing beaches, when one caught a rolling wave and was carried into the surf.

Far from appearing put out by the experience, the bird flew back to sea and rode another wave to the shore, followed by its companions.

The sporty flock appeared to be having fun, catching several waves each, sometimes riding them to the beach, before flying away to another surf break.

"I took a little bit of video, and with the second video I took, the swans were surfing. We see (surfers like) Mick Fanning and others and Kelly Slater, but not four black swans", says Kelvin Mill, the local resident who captured the unusal sight.