Countywide : Thousands Soak Up Sun at Area Beaches

Sunny skies and warm water lured thousands of Orange County residents into the ocean Sunday, where some were stung by stingrays and others got on the wrong side of rip currents and had to be rescued from the waves by lifeguards.

San Clemente’s two miles of beach sported about 28,000 sunbathers, which lifeguards described as “extremely crowded” conditions. Between 50 and 60 swimmers found themselves in minor trouble--officials reported 40 to 50 rescues and about 10 stingray victims.

The stingray’s stroke is “similar to a bee sting but about 10 times as painful,” said Richard Chew, San Clemente lifeguard supervisor. “All you do with it is soak it in hot water.” Swimmers tend to clash with the rays when the water is warm and the surf is gentle--a perfect description of Sunday’s 70-degree water, 78-degree air and three- to five-foot waves.

“The rescues were nothing major, typical rescues,” Chew said. “The water is real warm so the people are going out farther than they used to.”

Doheny State Beach also had a good day on Sunday. With about 3,500 beachgoers, the beach parking lots were closed between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. “The water’s a bit chilly--63 degrees--but other than that, everyone’s been cool, calm and collected,” said lifeguard Sandy Groos. “It was a crowded day here.”

Parking lots at Huntington Beach were closed due to crowds from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., although lifeguards called the 37,000-person crowd “a little less than usual.”

“It seems like the summer is dwindling down,” said Dan Hoffman, senior lifeguard. “The crowds are less. We usually get more people on this kind of a day. Today it was sunny at 9 a.m.”

Newport Beach--with a high temperature of 72 degrees--drew about 90,000 sun lovers, what officials called “a good crowd . . . about average for a summer weekend.”

“This summer’s a lot cooler than the last couple of summers,” said Gordon Reed, lifeguard. “Our crowds are down from last year.”

According to Reed, when it’s “super hot inland,” the beach can draw 140,000. Lifeguards rescued about 40 swimmers, including one man who was taken by paramedics to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach after he nearly drowned, Reed said.

And at Laguna Beach, there were about 28,000 sunbathers. “It was pretty crowded, but not a full house,” said Sam Taylor, lifeguard supervisor. “There were no serious incidents. The water was 68 degrees. It was a beautiful day.”