Croc sighting at beach on Friday

Man speaks of seeing crocodile at popular Whitsundays beach on Friday.

SIGHTING: A crocodile was spotted near these mangroves at Cannonvale Beach on Friday morning. Picture: Monique Preston

A CROCODILE has been spotted only about 30m from shore at Cannonvale Beach on Friday morning.

Cannonvale resident Darryl Simpkin said he saw the crocodile in open water near the mangroves while he was walking at the beach about 10am.

He estimates the crocodile was about one to one-and-a-half metres long.

"It surfaced once," he said.

"I saw the ripples. Then it went back out to sea.

"I didn't see the complete length. I saw the head and the back."

Mr Simpkin said the crocodile was about nine to 12 metres in open water from the mangroves west of the beach's swimming enclosure, and only about 30m from the shore.

"It wasn't that far off the beach," he said.

Mr Simpkin often walks along the beach and said he had never seen a crocodile around there before.

However he said he always knew of a female crocodile which had been coming to the Pigeon Island area to lay her eggs for years.

"I don't know what's going on. Everyone knew about that old mother croc, but the others (seen in the area in recent weeks) are unheard of."

It is unusual having these crocs around," he said.

Mr Simpkin is concerned that people do not know that crocodiles can be in the Cannonvale Beach area and were swimming there, or letting their dogs swim there.

"They should have some sort of barrier because people do use that beach," he said.

"Sooner or later there'll be a dog or a kid taken there."

No crocodile warning signs are currently up at the beach, although there were some a while ago when a crocodile was spotted there.

This sighting follows from a reported crocodile sighting at Shingley Beach on March 17 and one seen swimming offshore of Pigeon Island towards Abell Point Marina on February 27.

The Department of Environment and Science encourages people to report all crocodile sightings to them by calling 1300 130 372.

Originally published as Croc sighting at beach on Friday