A 2.4m crocodile closed three beaches north of Cairns and escaped its hunters after swimming into Ellis Beach's stinger net on Saturday night.

Swimmers retreated after the croc was spotted lurking 10-20m off shore and near stinger nets at Kewarra and Clifton Beach on Saturday morning, and then Palm Cove in the afternoon.

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The crocodile was finally caught at Palm Cove early yesterday, hours after giving rangers and lifeguards the slip at Ellis Beach’s stinger net on Saturday night.

Environmental Protection Authority wildlife head Clive Cook said the male croc got into the swimming enclosure after dark, and was spotted there about 8pm.

"They tried to slowly winch the net in but while they were doing that he got out and began swimming south again," Mr Cook said.

The crocodile had also got up close to the stinger nets at Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach and Palm Cove, Far North Queensland Lifeguard supervisor Jay March said.

"He was hanging around behind the (Kewarra) enclosure about 10am – only about 10m behind it," Mr March told The Cairns Post.

"He wasn’t just passing through.

"He was having a rest, and then he hung around the (Clifton) net for about a quarter of an hour before heading north again and swimming just behind the net at Palm Cove, coming to within about 10m of the beach at one stage."

Rangers used a harpoon device to finally capture the croc near the jetty at Palm Cove, reeling him in on a "giant handline" and dragging him into the boat after shutting its jaws together.

The animal was taken to a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service holding facility in Cairns.

Mr Cook said it would be relocated to a crocodile farm or zoo.

He said efforts to scare the crocodile away from stinger nets and popular beaches with a rubber dinghy on Saturday had been largely unsuccessful, but the animal had been monitored by land and sea for most of the day.

The incident came the day after the State Opposition called on the Government to reveal details of all crocodiles released near popular tourist spots, saying the Environmental Protection Authority had tagged and released 20 crocodiles this year but only four were accounted for in a satellite tracking program.

Mr Cook said the crocodile in question had not been previously tagged.

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