As Southern Californians enjoy the long summers on the beach, Seal Beach lifeguards are warning visitors about a seasonal increase in Stingray-related injuries.
In Seal Beach, the average number of Sting Raisting handled by lifeguards jumped to about 10 from one day a day, rising to 15 per day over the past two weeks.
“We had a long period when there weren’t many waves, so there was no much swell in the water. If there’s not much movement, the ocean will be flat,” said Nicholas Bolin of Li, during marine safety. “It attracts Stingrays near the coast.”
He said that stabbing comes at shallower depths because they are more comfortable with calm and warm water.
“When you get hot weather, lots of people on the beach, low tide, not much surfing, those are the days we’re watching it [higher] Numbers,” Borin said.
As of Friday afternoon, the lifeguard was dealing with three stab wounds.
Where could I come across Stingray?
The western end of Seal Beach, located at the mouth of the San Gabriel River, is known among locals as “Ray Bay.” That’s because the power plant, located a few miles inland, warms the water, which attracts Stingrays, Bolin said. In 2010, it was reported that a third of national Stingray-related injuries were recorded in this particular beach area.
Thirteen years later, California State University’s Shame Lab in Long Beach noted that Stingray populations were the highest ever in Seal Beach, with an estimated 30,000 stimuli underwater, ABC News reported. That year, researchers said several factors contributed to the population boom, including climate change, improved water quality and a decline in the population of white sharks, a Stingray predator.
Last summer day, Stingrays skim along the sandy bottom of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of La Jolla Shores Beach.
(Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
What kind of fish is Stingray?
According to Shark Lab, Stingrays are part of a group of fish known as “batoids” and are closely associated with sharks.
Researchers say most stink rays spend their time foraging the seabed for clams, marine worms, shrimp, isopods, crabs and small fish.
Stingray’s defense mechanism is to camouflage or buried beneath the sand at the bottom of the sea. But if a human intervention is involved, it will be stung. Stings are those on the sharp, barbed wire of the stab wound above the fish’s tail.
When Stinger stabs the skin, it “causes puncture wounds, injections of venom, and tissue damage, causing pain, swelling and sometimes secondary infections,” according to the state agency.
Experts say most stimulus-related injuries are reported in afternoons when the water gets warmer and more people are enjoying the ocean.
How can I prevent it from getting stuck?
To avoid stinging on the coast, shuffle your feet without picking them up while moving the water.
“To shuffle my feet in the sand and get deep enough to swim or swim on a surfboard,” Bolin said.
This will warn you that you are approaching and give them the chance to escape, advises Shamelab.
If you get stinging, experts recommend soaking the affected area in hot fresh water for 30-90 minutes or until the pain subsides. Ideally, the water temperature should be maintained between 104 and 113 degrees.
According to California State Parks, hot water relieves the pain of stings, relieves the pain of stings and prevents infection. Aside from soaking, it is recommended that stabbed people seek medical attention from their healthcare professional.
When visiting Seal Beach, Borin recommends checking in with her lifeguard for Stingray-related injuries and stinging sightings.
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