It’s that time of year again in Florida. The stingrays are back.

That means if you’re going to the beach and you want to have a good time, you need to be aware.

The purple flag is up in the air, and that means it’s time to do the stingray shuffle.

“Basically, it’s just like it sounds you want to (make), said Clearwater Beach lifeguard Patrick Brafford. "Instead of taking an actual step, you want to slide your feet through the sand to create a vibration for anything laying in the area."

Clearwater Beach Patrol says the number of interactions between stingrays and humans are up this season. And certainly that’s not a good thing.

“You really see very (few) people doing it (shuffle), and you know it’s one of those things you have to do to take that little extra step of caution to ensure having a safe day at the beach," Brafford said.

With that in mind, Bay News 9 combed the beach to ask folks if they shuffle to shoo away the stingrays.

It appears the long-timers know how it works.

“I’m a Floridian born and raised, so I’m a shuffler,” said Ariel Cabrera.

“They say it scares them away,” said Frank Rubel.

Those who have only lived in Florida for a short time have a different opinion.

“I mean, I don’t know there are sharks, there are whales in the ocean, too, but we still go swim in it,” said Danielle Mathis.

Just because people shuffle doesn’t mean they worry.

“No reason to worry about it; I mean if you worry, you’ll worry about everything in the water,” Rubel said.

People who have been stung though will tell you it’s worth it to shuffle instead of step if you’re going in the water.

If you are stung it’s best to contact a lifeguard or a doctor immediately.