Catching stingrays and treating their victims on Southern California beaches, in photos
Lifeguards reported more than 3,100 incidents at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State beaches as warm waters pushed rays into shallow surf.
- Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beaches reported more than 3,100 stingray incidents so far this year, doubling the total number recorded for all of 2025.
- Warming ocean temperatures and El Niño conditions, combined with dwindling predator populations, are driving stingray growth, according to Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach.
- Tourist Jake Hemann and swimmer Allen Lowry are among recent sting victims; lifeguards urge bathers to shuffle their feet when entering the water, which often causes rays to slide away.
- San Diego beaches recorded more than 900 stings during the first half of 2026, while Dr. Christanne Coffey of University of California, San Diego Health warns that redness lasting over four or five days may signal infection.
- Round stingrays are thriving at the edge of their range due to human-caused climate change, and persistent warming from El Niño conditions suggests these encounters may remain elevated long-term.
38 Articles
38 Articles
More than 16,000 rays in one day: The beaches of Southern California are teeming with stingrays this summer. Two state beaches at Huntington Beach already report more than 3100 incidents.
The stingrays roam off the US west coast. Because of the El Niño it could become more than ever. Lifeguards have to treat as many stitches in some places as for a long time no longer.
Officials Warn Beachgoers as Stingray Stings Surge at Popular Southern California Beaches
As temperatures climb across Southern California, beaches are drawing crowds of people looking to escape the summer heat in the cool waters. But beachgoers heading into the shallows may have […] The post Officials Warn Beachgoers as Stingray Stings Surge at Popular Southern California Beaches appeared first on edhat.
Stingrays are invading American beaches… here’s why – The Horn News
It’s turning into the summer of the stingray… Jake Hemann grabbed a board and headed out to surf. But an hour later, he wound up sitting at the lifeguard station soaking his foot in a pail of hot water alongside four other beachgoers. It is a common scene at Bolsa Chica State Beach and some other popular beaches in Southern California where the number of people being hit by the sharp, serrated caudal barbs found on the tails of stingrays has gon…
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