What’s that sticky stuff? Tar balls are washing up on area beaches

Beach-goers might have noticed their day at the shore is a little sticker than usual recently, but lifeguards say there’s nothing to worry about.

In the past few weeks there have been more reports of tar balls in the sand in Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, according to local lifeguards.

“It’s all natural seepage we’ve been seeing the last few days,” Huntington Beach Fire Department marine safety Lt. Claude Panis said Friday.

It’s normal to see the oily clumps wash up from time to time, according to Newport Beach lifeguard Battalion Chief Mike Halphide.

“It’s not a spill,” he said. “That’s the main thing we want people to know.”

Halphide said it’s hard to gauge exactly how many people have had run-ins with the black ooze or if it’s concentrated in any particular portion of the beach, but it’s mostly harmless and not especially heavy compared to past incidents.

He advised washing off the tar with baby oil or mineral oil.