33 swimmers stung by stingrays at Orange County beach
Huntington Beach saw a spike in stingray stings over the weekend, with more than 30 beachgoers stung.
Lifeguards treated 15 people for stings on Saturday and 18 more on Sunday.
Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Michael Beuerlein says they log 400 to 500 stingray injuries in Huntington Beach annually, but typically that is only from one or two incidents a day.
He says the small surf and warm water over the weekend usually increases stingrays in the area. The low surf allows them to come in closer than usual.
Most stingrays have one or more barbed stingers on the tail. They normally don’t attack humans and most stings are from beachgoers accidentally stepping on the ray.
