Lifeguards warn of increase in stingray activity in H.B., coastal Orange County
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Those entering the water off Huntington Beach are advised to be on the lookout for stingrays as an overabundance of the venomous sea creatures — and resultant injuries among hapless swimmers — is being reported from Orange County to San Diego.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Bolsa Chica State Beach and Huntington State Beach have reported more than 3,100 incidents so far this year, twice the number recorded during all of 2025.
More than 900 stings were recorded on San Diego’s beaches during the first half of 2026, more than during the first six months of any of the past five years, lifeguard data show.
“We’re definitely seeing an increase,” said Bryan R. Etnyre, state park superintendent in northern Orange County told an AP reporter. “A lot of it is due to warming ocean temperatures that are consistently staying in the 60s. I don’t think there was a week all winter where we dropped below 60 this year.”
A sign posted at Bolsa Chica State Beach late last month advised those entering the water to shuffle their feet, an act that alerts rays to move out of the way of oncoming humans.
Biologists associate the uptick with a recent rise in ocean temperature, as the animals tend to thrive in subtropical climates.
Although the venom delivered via serrated caudal barbs on stingrays’ tails is not typically associated with fatalities unless it reaches a vital organ, a sting can pack a punch.
Lifeguards advise soaking the affected area in hot, fresh water, the AP reported. A hot soak can help break down certain proteins inside the venom and alleviate symptoms.
