As Southern Californians enjoy their long summers at the beach, Seal Beach lifeguards are cautioning visitors about the seasonal uptick in stingray-related injuries.
In Seal Beach, the average number of stingray stings treated by lifeguards has jumped from one per day to about 10, rising to as many as 15 per day in the last two weeks, said Matthew Corb, marine safety officer for the city of Seal Beach.
“We had a long period with not much surf, so there wasn’t a lot of swell in the water, and when there isn’t a lot of water movement, the ocean gets kind of flat,” said Nicholas Bolin, marine safety lieutenant. “That draws stingrays closer to the shore.”
Stingrays come in at shallower depths because they’re more comfortable in calm, warm waters, he said.
“When you got hot weather, tons of people at the beach, low tide and not much surf, those are the days where we’re seeing that [higher] number,” Bolin said.
As of Friday afternoon, the lifeguards had treated three stings.
Where am I most likely to run into a stingray?
The west end of Seal Beach, at the mouth of the San Gabriel River, is known among locals as “ray bay,” for its population of — and run-ins with — stingrays. That’s because a power plant located a couple of miles inland warms the water, which attracts stingrays, Bolin said. In 2010, it was reported that one-third of nationwide stingray-related injuries were documented at this specific area of the beach.
Thirteen years later, the Shark Lab at the California State University, Long Beach, noted that the stingray population was at an all-time high in Seal Beach, with an estimated 30,000 stingrays in the water, ABC News reported. That year researchers said several factors contributed to the population boom, including climate change, better water quality and a decrease in the population of the stingray’s predator, white sharks.
A stingray skims along the the sandy bottom of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of La Jolla Shores Beach on a summer day last year.
(Kevin Carter / Getty Images)
What kind of fish is a stingray?
Stingrays are part of a group of fish known as “batoids” and are closely related to sharks, according to the Shark Lab.
Researchers say most stingrays spend their time resting on the seafloor foraging for clams, marine worms, shrimp, isopods, crabs and small fish.
A stingray’s defense mechanism is to camouflage itself on top of the ocean floor’s sand or buried under it. But if stepped on by a human, it will sting, according to California State Parks. The sting comes from the stingray’s sharp, barbed stingers on the fish’s tails.
When the stinger pierces the skin, “it can cause puncture wounds, injection of venom, and tissue damage, leading to pain, swelling, and occasionally secondary infection,” according to the state agency.
Experts say most stingray-related injuries are reported in the afternoon when the water is warmer and more people are enjoying the ocean.
How can I avoid getting stung?
To avoid a stingray on the shore, shuffle your feet without picking them up as you move through the water.
“You’re going to shuffle your feet in the sand until you get out to a point that’s deep enough that you can swim or jump on your surfboard,” Bolin said.
This alerts the buried stingray that you are approaching and gives them a chance to get away, the Shark Lab advises.
If you’re stung by a stingray, experts recommend soaking the affected area in hot, fresh water for 30 to 90 minutes, or until the pain subsides. Ideally, you’ll want to maintain the water temperature at 104 to 113 degrees.
The hot water breaks down the stinger venom, relieves the pain of the sting and prevents infection, according to the California State Parks. Aside from the soak, individuals who have been stung are advised to seek medical attention from a healthcare practitioner.
When visiting Seal Beach, Bolin recommends checking in with a lifeguard about stingray-related injuries or stingray sightings so you can navigate the ocean safely and enjoy your visit.
