Stingray Injuries Spike in Seal Beach

The Following is the Weekly Marine Status Report by Seal Beach Marine Safety Chief Joe Bailey.

• Rescues: 29
• Medical aids: 8
• Major medical aid: 0
• Stingray injuries: 26
• Boat rescues: 1

Beach attendance has picked up over the last week. Good surf and weather has drawn surfers and beachgoers. We are expecting the surf to remain in the 2-3foot range and weather in the 70’s.

As schools of all levels start to wind down we have had many school groups at the beach enjoying an end of the year beach day. Last week, Lt. Pierce and MSO Bolin attended two different career days and we have given a number to Headquarters tours.

The number of stingray victims over the last two weeks is high for this time of year. We are wondering if this is due to the new and improved First Street Beach Parking lot. As we ramp up lifeguard deployment and start to separate the swimmers, surfers and kite boarders, pushing the swimmers toward the pier, we hope the number of victims will fall to normal levels.

Training and re-certification days have been planned for the Beach and Pool Lifeguards. Training for returning recurrent guards is critical in refreshing and maintaining ifeguarding skills for our guards.

Sign-up day for the Junior Lifeguard program will be held on Saturday June 16th 9am at Lifeguard Headquarters. We have added another swim test on Saturday June 16th at noon for people that missed the earlier scheduled tests. Please check the City of Seal Beach website for additional information. www.sealbeachca.gov

Always swim near a Lifeguard!