In his 40 years working as a lifeguard in Huntington Beach, Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis has never seen so many stingray injuries in one day.

The record number of people who hobbled up the beach and sought care, soaking their feet in scorching hot water to ease the pain on Friday, Dec. 29: 73 victims.

“We’re infested,” Panis said. “That’s just how many we treated. In my 40 years, that’s as many as I’ve had in a single day. It’s a problem.”

A sign near the pier where lifeguards have posted them Friday morning, November 24, 2017, warning surfers and beachgoers of a spike in stingray injuries, after 14 reports came in on Wednesday and an unusual spike of 42 on Wednesday, and another 20 on Thanksgiving Day in Huntington Beach, CA. (Photo by Ken Steinhardt, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A sign is posted warning beachgoers of sting rays in Huntington Beach last November. (Photo courtesy of Huntington Beach lifeguard Lt. Claude Panis)

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A stinger is lodged in a foot of a victim in Huntington Beach a few weeks ago. Photo courtesy of Huntington Beach Marine safety Department

Daniel Saxton was stung twice – once on each foot – this week in Huntington Beach. (Photo courtesy of Huntington Beach Marine Safety Department)



Extreme low tides, small surf, and warmish water in the low 60s – combined with holiday crowds in town and off work and school – have contributed to the spike in sting rays, Panis said.

“It’s just a formula for disaster,” he said.

The previous day, on Thursday, there were 45 injuries, also an unusually high number of reports.

Rather than have lifeguard trucks respond with gallons of hot water they carry around, lifeguards on Friday set up a sting ray station at their headquarters, with chairs and buckets set up for a line of people seeking relief.

“They were just coming through the door rapid fire,” he said.

The same first-aid station will be available on Saturday and Sunday.

Panis said he reached out to the permit holder of the Surf City Splash, which draws hundreds of people to the pier area to do a New Year’s Day dip, a tradition now in its 18th year.

Lifeguards plan on talking to the estimated 400 people to warn them and give instructions on how to do the “sting ray shuffle” by dragging their feet on the sand as they walk out to sea. He also advised organizers to have people with sticks leading the way out to the ocean by raking the bottom and scare off the sting rays.

“People are going to go out and I’m thinking they will get stung,” he said.

Lifeguards also plan to have a truck on site with buckets of hot water ready.

He said getting hit by a stingray can ruin a fun beach day.

“It’s extremely painful. It will ruin your day, you’ll end up going home and sticking your foot in hot water all day,” he said. “Of course, they have to follow up with a doctor, it’s a puncture wound and can get infected.”

Lee Love, organizer of the Surf City Splash, said she’s been swimming the pier for decades and has never been hit – until last week. Twice.

“The first time, it was so painful, so excruciating,” she said. “I was seriously screaming with pain.”

The second hit was on her toe, a less painful hit – but still enough for her to walk gingerly during the event on New Year’s Day.

“This year with the stingrays, we’re going to do the Surf City shuffle, instead of the Surf City Splash,” she said.