Stinger Season In Cairns

Summer time in Cairns brings with it the sweltering heat and high humidity which seems perfect for taking a cooling dip.

The beaches of Cairns are truly breath-taking with glorious stretches of white pearl sands and a bounty of blue stretching to the horizon, yet with the high season sunlight pouring down this is also the time for stingers.

• Taking the Plunge

  Stingers, or jellyfish as they are more universally known, tend to drift to shore at this time of year and getting stung whilst swimming or snorkelling can be unpleasant to say the least. Whilst an encounter with a blue bottle or jelly blubber may cause you pain it shouldn’t have you running to the emergency room but in the height of the season there can be danger shifting beneath the waters. The most dangerous stingers are the box jellyfish and the Irukandji and their stings can be lethal. This doesn’t mean the rich waters are off limits but it does mean that you need to think before jumping in the water.

• Stinger Nets Out in Style

  From the first of November until the start of May, the stinger nets are out around Cairns and Port Douglas. Those hitting the beach should be sure to only swim in patrolled areas and to look for the comforting colours of the red and yellow flags. Stopping to chat with one of the lifeguards and asking where the safest place to swim is will also help you to reduce the risks of coming across unwanted visitors in the water.

• Donning the Stinger Suit

  While stinger nets are out in full swing at many beaches across the coastline of Cairns, it is well worth noting that they are not totally fool proof. With the ebb of the tide smaller stingers can sometimes pass through to the other side. At this time of year water lovers wanting their fix should wear stinger suits which leave only fingers and faces exposed. The stinger suits look like Lycra wet suits and work by covering exposed skin and keeping you safe, not only from stingers but also from the harmful UV rays of the sun.

• Staying Safe in Cairns

  Whether or not you take to the waters is a personal choice. Sure on a fiery day in Cairns you will see hundreds of people splashing in the surf, laughing on the shoreline and swimming out across the waters. Casualties are rare but the chance is there. If you do decide to swim then make sure you enter the water slowly to give the stingers time to move away. Make sure you don’t swim outside of patrolled hours or when the beach is closed, no matter how inviting the ocean looks.

Staying safe during stinger season doesn’t mean that you can’t bask in the beauty of Cairns it just means that you need to stay aware.