Surfers and Stingrays: An Unwelcome Meeting at Bolsa Chica Beach

Surfers at Bolsa Chica State Beach are facing a spiky problem. Stingrays are causing quite a stir, with many surfers getting stung. The beach is popular for surfing, and with the recent good weather, more people are in the water. This means more chances for surfers to meet stingrays. Roland Sands is no stranger to this issue. He was stung twice in one week. The first time, he knew exactly what to do. He went to the lifeguard headquarters and soaked his foot in hot water. It's a common treatment for stingray stings. Other surfers were there too, waiting for the pain to ease. Bryan Etnyre, a public safety superintendent, says that more people in the water means more stingray encounters. He's seen this happen before. On Sunday, 12 people needed treatment for stingray stings. That's not as many as in the summer, but it's still a lot.Laurie Haller is another surfer who knows this pain well. She's been stung seven times. The latest sting happened just four feet from the shore. She was trying to be careful, but it still got her. Lifeguards advise surfers to do the "stingray shuffle. " This means moving their feet quickly near the ocean floor. But even this doesn't always work. Stingrays usually leave shallow waters when it's cold or there are big waves. But with the current warm water and small waves, they're sticking around. This means surfers need to be extra careful. Even experienced surfers can get stung. As Etnyre says, "Nobody is impervious. "