SAN DIEGO — If you feel something painful in your foot while in the ocean this summer, you could have been stung by a stingray.
Doctors and lifeguards said there's an uptick in stingray injuries at San Diego beaches in the summer months.
Summer in San Diego brings tourists, sunny weather and flocks of people to the beaches. More people are getting stung because there are more people in the ocean this time of year.
"What we’re usually seeing is just more people in the water, enjoying the ocean, enjoying the beach, more feet on the bottom of the sea where the stingrays are is going to result in more feet getting in contact with the stingrays and getting stung," Dr. William Bianchi with Sharp Coronado Hospital said.
Bianchi said he sees an influx of stingray injuries in late May and June, then it slows down in July and when tourist season ends.
The best thing to do is put your foot or the location of the sting in a hot water bath to ease the pain. Lifeguards and doctors can provide hot water and assess the injury if you're stung.
"It can be really really painful but the second you immerse the foot or put the foot in a hot water bath, it turns the toxin off and the pain goes away pretty quickly," Bianchi said.
Bianchi also dispelled a myth that is said to help with the pain of a sting.
"That’s a myth, urinating on it certainly isn’t going to help much with the pain and it’s certainly not going to look cool or be sanitary," Bianchi said.
In most cases, the sting is painful and is a puncture wound in the foot. In severe cases, the venom can get stuck in bone or soft tissue and cause nerve or vein damage or become infected.
Bianchi said it's best not to try to remove the barb yourself because it can break and become harder to get out.
"Just make certain that you protect the area and get to the emergency department without bumping it or displacing it," Bianchi said.
Coronado Lifeguard Sergeant Damon Bassett has been stung by a stingray seven times in his life.
"Its very painful," Basset said.
Coronado lifeguards have seen 10-25 stingray injuries a day over the past few weeks.
Basset said the best thing to do when getting in the water is the stingray shuffle. Shuffling your feet stirs up the sand and scares stingrays away. Also, keeping your feet off the ocean floor so you're not near the animals.
"You got to shuffle your feet, go slow, cause some vibrations in the sand so it knows that there’s feet around," Basset said.
He said there aren't more stingrays this time of year, but there are more people in areas where stingrays feed on clams.
“They are here year-round eating the clams, there’s just more people in the water that’s why you see the uptick in the injuries," Basset said.
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