Stingers close beaches as hot weather sets in
BEACH CLOSURE
There will be no beating the heat at the beach with Surf Life Savers closing Four Mile Beach again today along with all Cairns Beaches due to an increase in stinger activity.
A high-risk alert has been issued for the Far North region with two stingers found in Port Douglas today as well as one earlier in the week.
This comes on the back of stings at Palm Cove and Trinity Beach yesterday along with a significant number found during routine drags in the Cairns area.
Closures include Four Mile Beach, Ellis Beach, Holloways Beach, Palm Cove, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach, Trinity Beach, and Yorkeys Knob.
All Cairns beaches are likely to remain closed over the weekend while Port Douglas will be assessed on a daily basis.
“We have to wait 24 hours following the last sighting or sting before we can reopen the beach,” an SLSQ spokesperson said.
SLSQ Cairns lifeguard supervisor Jay March urged people to stay out of the water.
“It’s simply not safe to have the beaches open at this point in time, particularly with these sustained conditions, and the sheer number of stingers we’re seeing in the water,” he said.
“The beaches will be closed over the coming days and, at this stage, they won’t be reopened until conditions change and take those stingers back out to sea.
“Our advice is clear – please stay out of the water until beaches have been reopened to the public.
“We know some people may be disappointed, but it’s a decision we’ve made in the interests of everyone’s safety,” Mr March said.
Beach closures and openings can be monitored via Beach Reports.
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