Stingray injuries in Pacific Beach are on the rise, continuing a three-year trend.
According to data obtained through the Public Records Act, Pacific Beach had the highest number of stings reported to lifeguards so far this year citywide.
Lifeguard Lt. John Maher said these numbers represent stingray injuries south of the pier: from Crystal Pier to Mission Beach. With warm conditions lingering, reports are likely to keep rising through the end of the year.
“We’re still 3 months out, and there have been more [stings] year-to-date than all of last year,” Maher said.
The data provided by lifeguards likely underestimates the real numbers, as many beachgoers don’t report stings.
While there is no single explanation for this strong increase, Zach Merson, a Ph.D. student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said two factors are at play: more people and warmer waters.
“Generally, stingrays like the same conditions that people going to the beach really like: nice, shallow, warm water,” Merson said. “And that’s, of course, where you’re going to have the most people wading into the water.”
With a super El Niño coming, Merson said water temperatures have been unusually high, even bringing in all sorts of exotic animals to the coasts of California.
“That’s definitely contributing to more stingrays coming close to the beach than in a typical year,” he said. “This year, because the water is warmer further into the year, I just expected that peak stingray season will extend, perhaps, through the end of October into November as well.”
Merson also said stingrays tend to be most heavily concentrated at low tides, when there is a smaller area of shallow water for them to be in.
If stung, Maher said to treat any bleeding, clean and bandage the wound, and submerge it in hot water not exceeding 110 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour and a half.
To prevent being stung by a stingray, beachgoers should do the “stingray shuffle”: keeping both feet in contact with the sand at all times while sliding forward. This prevents someone from stepping directly on a stingray’s barb.
“When a stingray is stepped on, it thinks you’re something trying to eat it, and that’s when it will defend itself by flicking its spine into, probably, your ankle,” Merson said. “But if you’re shuffling your feet, you actually either spook the ray off before you even get to it, or you bump up against its side.”
If lifeguards are not on duty when someone is stung, people can use the emergency call boxes located along beaches in San Diego to reach a 24-hour dispatch center for help.
“Don’t let the stingray scare you into staying out of the water,” Maher said.
