By Pranav Harish For Daily Mail Australia
08:21 28 Jun 2024, updated 08:22 28 Jun 2024
A woman who filmed herself swimming at a notorious crocodile-infested beach has been slammed by Aussies for the reckless act of stupidity.
Tarlia Merau uploaded a clip to TikTok last week that showed her entering the water at Palm Cove Beach, near Cairns, in far north Queensland.
Ms Merau said she ignored the crocodile warning signs because she ‘couldn’t resist’ going in for a dip at the beach.
‘An old couple walked passed me and said “you’re brave”,’ she said.
But Ms Merau admitted in the video that while she didn’t have a problem swimming in oceans where there are sharks, she didn’t want to swim with crocodiles.
Social media users slammed the foolhardy swim in comments on the video.
‘Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,’ one wrote.
‘So many other beaches to swim at and you choose to swim at one in Cairns, which is average, not to mention the croc risk,’ another person wrote.
‘Now that’s really taking risking it to a new level,’ a third added.
Ms Merau said in the video that she’s trying to get used to the beach and said that she really wanted to go for a swim.
‘The water is so warm here, how could I not?’ she said.
Palm Cove Beach lies within ‘Croc Country’, which are areas that are designated crocodile habitats.
These areas stretch from the Boyne River near Gladstone to the far north and far west of Queensland.
It also extends to parts of the Northern Territory.
Visitors to beaches and waterways in far north Queensland are urged to croc-aware to reduce the risk of harm, including heeding crocodile warning signs.
In September 2020, a crocodile measuring nearly three metres in length ate a dog at the popular town beach, sparking concerns from locals.
Officials from the Queensland Department of Environment and Science (DESI) conducted an investigation following the incident.
Warnings signs were immediately put up on the banks of the ocean and a crocodile trap remains in place.
Crocodiles are be found at multiple tourist-trap locations around Australia including oceans, beaches, rivers, creeks and waterholes.
They are masters at hiding and can stay underwater for more than an hour, with the fearsome predators most active during the night, dusk and dawn.
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