Palm Cove Beach, QLD: Swimming safety – crocodiles & stingers

Palm Cove Beach near Cairns, Queensland, has lifeguard patrols and stinger nets to make swimming safer. But you can never 100% guarantee it’s stinger and crocodile-free.

Palm Cove Beach is the northernmost of Cairns’ Northern Beaches. With an eye on the luxury end of the market, Palm Cove is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination. There are several Palm Cove hotels to choose from, and the beach is a key part of the attraction.

Book your Palm Cove accommodation for from $154 a night.

Palm Cove Beach stinger nets

Palm Cove Beach has a gorgeous tropical feel, with palm trees running along the back of it. The water, however, is perhaps not so enticing. In this part of tropical Queensland, there are two main considerations that will make you think twice about swimming – marine stingers and crocodiles.

Are there stingers at Palm Cove Beach? Well, yes. Every beach this far north in Queensland gets stingers.

Marine stingers, such as box jellyfish and Irukandji, are much more prevalent during the summer, wet season months. Either way, it is advisable to swim within the area protected by the stinger nets near the Peppers Beach Club and Paradise on the Beach Resort.

These stinger nets do not prevent all marine stingers getting through. They are not entirely safe to swim in. But they prevent the vast majority getting through, and odds are you’ll be able to swim in them perfectly safely.

DON’T MISS OUT! 6 Palm Cove experiences worth booking in advance

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway to Kuranda – with Palm Cove transfers.
Kayaking with turtles around Double Island.
Atherton Tableland rainforest and waterfalls day tour.
Sunrise stand-up paddleboarding lesson.
Cape Tribulation, Mossman Gorge and Daintree Rainforest day tour.
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures trip, leaving from Palm Cove.

Crocodiles at Palm Cove Beach

The other issue with swimming at Palm Cove Beach is crocodiles. The Palm Cove hotels very much prefer to gloss over the fact that crocodiles live around here, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security.

The good news is that crocodiles prefer to hang out in creeks and estuaries rather than in the open ocean. Saltwater crocodiles can’t be seen as easily in the murky creeks, making it easier for them to get food.

Come out to the ocean, and they’ll be spotted pretty quickly, allowing everything that might fall victim to get away sharpish.

This includes swimmers, who are aided by the patrolling lifeguards. A key part of a lifeguard’s job in Palm Cove is to keep a hawk eye out for crocodiles. If they see one, the water will be evacuated pronto.

South Palm Cove Estuary crocodile trap

There is also a crocodile trap in the South Palm Cove Estuary, with the whole area being part of an Active Removal Zone. This means if a croc is spotted, it is captured and relocated.

In practice, you’re very, very unlikely to fall victim to a crocodile attack in Palm Cove. But swimming at Palm Cove Beach is never 100% safe.

If you do want to see crocodiles nearby, but safely, then try Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures near Wangetti Beach or a Daintree River wildlife-watching cruise.