There are thousands of stingrays and batrays in the waters of Huntington Beach – Thousands
Some days over a dozen people are stung. The people swimming in the water cannot see what we see when we look down from a SUP. We see everything, and they are literally there in the thousands.
Increased reports of painful stings along Southern California‘s beaches over fall and winter, says Surfline.Com.
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Party Wave at the Huntington Beach Pier – Seems like everyone enjoyed the waves and weather that October brought us. Nature’s best bodysurfers on a party wave at Huntington Beach. (I was there on this day. So many dolphin shows this day.)
——————————
ADD TO DOLPHIN PAGE
Yesterday, Saturday November 4th, 2017 while SUP Surfing on the North side of Huntington Beach Pier I paddled right over a huge sea turtle that was about 3 feet under the waters surface. This turtle was huge. I was shocked, I did not know these rare turtles were there. This one must be pretty old given its size. So I did a quick change of direction and tried to follow the turtle, but he speedup and went into deeper water and I lost him. If it were not for the small to non-existent waves and the crystal clear water under the sunny sky I most likely never would have seen this beautiful creature.
On Sunday November 26th at roughly 6:55am while riding a wave in the crystal clear water in front of tower 3 a whale crossed my pain, and went right under the nose of my board. He then went by two other surfers before heading out around the pier. I paddled in and I spoke with the life guard that was watching the whale and he said he saw it, and that is why he was sitting there in his truck, watching us.
Given I had not seen nor heard of sea turtles being that close to shore, far outside the surf-line, (I was out there getting in my exercise given strictly small shore-break, on a crowded weekend), I decided to do a quick Google search and I quickly discovered that they have been seen, caught and released in Huntington Beach in 2017.
The one I saw was about 2-3 times the size as the one in the article. It was HUGE.
Huntington Beach lifeguards pull off rare sea turtle rescue after endangered creature caught from pier
A lifeguard transports a Green Sea Turtle back to the ocean after it was caught off Huntington Beach Pier.
A lifeguard transports a Green Sea Turtle back to the ocean after it was caught off Huntington Beach Pier. (Courtesy HB Lifeguards)
——————————–
Add GoPro StingRay video
I know one SUP Surfer that has been stung three times!
I know one SUP Surfer that has been stung three times!
These signs are behind each life guard stand, you can see them when you walk towards the water. But they are too far apart. If you do not walk close to a tower you will not see them.
This short unedited GoPro video was taken just before sunrise. As such the lighting is not as it is after sunrise. While paddling out on a SUP that morning you could see hundreds of these stingrays just under the surface of the water, many less than a foot. Large schools of them. The video gives a very clear understanding of how many of them are out there.
Later in the day you will see hundreds to thousands of both stingrays and batrays very close to shore. That is why so many people are being stung. That is why there are signs all over the beach warning people about the stingray attacks.
Unedited video of stingrays during dawn patrol Huntington Beach, Southside October 2017 (Give it time to load, it is worth seeing):
Stingray video #2. Has a few closeups.