Warm ocean waters bring a surge of stingrays to Orange County beaches

Orange County beachgoers notice that there's a lot of stingrays lately, and lifeguards say the warm water, especially in places where the surf is relatively calm, is contributing to a dramatic increase in the number of stingray incidents.

More than 3,100 people have been stung at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach so far this year, which is at least double last year's total.

At Huntington city beach, 80 swimmers and surfers were injured just this week alone.

"Bolsa Chica has slightly a different angle at their beach and they're not as exposed to that south-facing swell direction that we experience here at main beach, so it doesn't surprise me that they've had an increase in stingray activity," Huntington Beach Marine Safety Battalion Chief Derek Peters said.

Last Friday, researchers from Cal State Long Beach's Shark Lab brought a net to Seal Beach and collected a few hundred stingrays in just one area.

Experts say there's a marine heatwave off parts of the West Coast. It's the third time on record that such a large swath of the Pacific Ocean has stayed warm for so long. 

Newport Harbor High School students Marigold Kulik and Audrey Lauritzen made it out of the water at Huntington's main beach without seeing one stingray.

"They're scary, though. I don't like them," Kulik said.

Thermal bags are stored in the toolboxes on Huntington lifeguards' trucks. Anyone who has felt the sharp barb of a stingray knows that scalding hot water is the treatment. Water poured into the bag for a foot bath brings much-needed relief.