Record Stingray Stings in Orange County as a Strong El Niño Arrives

Lifeguards at Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches have recorded more than 3,500 stingray incidents so far in 2026, compared with just over 1,400 in all of 2025, California State Parks superintendent Bryan Entyre told the Department of Fish and Wildlife's marine management blog. Round stingrays hide under a dusting of sand in shallow water and sting waders who step on them; the stings are rarely lasting but painful.

The likely driver is warm water. A marine heat wave and a strong El Niño have both been confirmed in the Pacific, the department notes, citing NOAA, and the unusually warm water along California's coast will very likely continue as El Niño arrives this fall and winter.

Anglers are seeing the same shift. Species usually found off Mexico, such as yellowfin tuna and dorado, have followed the warm water north and are being caught more often off Southern California, while anchovy and squid have moved to deeper, cooler water. Olive ridley sea turtles nested on Southern California beaches this year for the first time on record.

El Niño can also raise sea level and tides along the coast, the department says, which matters on south-facing beaches already seeing tidal overflow during this week's surf.