Visitors to Clearwater Beach beware. There’s been a spike in stingray encounters, and the city is warning swimmers to be extra careful.
- 12 people stung by stingrays on Clearwater Beach this week
- City flew purple flag to alert visitors to danger in the water
- CMA experts say spike in encounters due to breeding season
The purple flag flew on the beach Friday to alert people to dangerous marine life in the water.
Visitor Kevin Monchabo said he was just walking along the waters on Clearwater Beach when all of a sudden he felt a sting on his toes.
“Just something just running right into you, piercing you,” said Monchabo, who was the 12th person to get stung by a stingray in the area this week.
City officials say all the previous victims were successfully treated with steaming hot water by lifeguards. The lifeguard tending to Monchabo found no barbs from the stingray in his toe, meaning hot water will most likely treat his injury, as well.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium experts offered a few possible explanations regarding the spike in stingray encounters.
“One reason would be that the warm waters do correlate with their breeding season," said CMA Animal Care Specialist Brooke Bowersox. "Another reason being that with more beach goers, just the higher number of people out there on the beaches, the more accidents that could happen.”
Bowersox went on to say that the encounters could be avoided using the "Stingray Shuffle" -- dragging one's feet in the sand where stingrays tend to hide.
Most of the people we talked to at the beach were from out of town, and had no idea what the "Stingray Shuffle" was.
It’s a lesson Monchabo said he learned the hard way.
City officials said they’ve only heard about these stingray encounters on North Beach. The purple flag will continue to fly at lifeguard stands on the beach until the encounters stop.