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(CNN) - Lifeguards in Huntington Beach, California, reminded swimmers to drag their feet when they enter the ocean after 176 people were stung by the rays in a single day.
A record number of people were stung on Saturday, authorities told KTLA, a CNN affiliate.
It may sound like a scene from a monster movie, but the stripes were not in a 'campaign' of attack on the bathers' legs.
The warm weather attracted many people to the beach at low tide.
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“When there are people in the water at low tides like that, they go to where the manta rays reside and, unfortunately, people step on the manta rays and that's when they get stung,” Lieutenant Eric Dieterman of the Marine Security Division of the fire department to KTLA.
The lifeguards caused people to put their injured legs in bags of warm water to help relieve the pain of the bites.
This is the scene in front of LGHQ as there's been a rise in stingray incidents. The man on the right was hit on both feet, but he is taking it all in stride. Please remember to shuffle your feet as you enter the water to avoid stingrays. #beachtip pic.twitter.com/bDKqMMTNEk
- Huntington Beach (@HBCityBeach) October 25, 2019
There were fewer people in the water on Sunday after the weather cooled, KTLA reported, and the amount of bites decreased.
Dieterman said lifeguards warned people to stay out of the water until Monday.
The manta rays are flat creatures that like to spend time partially covered in the sand in shallow and warm waters.
Their main defense is camouflage, but they will sting if they are stepped on or disturbed. That is why experts recommend that swimmers move their feet when they walk in the water to produce vibrations that scare away the rays.
According to SeaGrant California, stingray injuries can usually be treated with warm water, antibiotics to prevent infections, and possibly a tetanus shot. In rare cases, a doctor may have to remove a stinger if it breaks in the wound.
Legendary television star and conservationist Steve Irwin died in 2006 from a sting in his chest while filming a documentary in Australia.
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Lee Perkins, a Huntington Beach resident, told KTLA that he was stung two weeks ago and that the wound became infected.
"It's definitely an intense nerve pain and it's quite strong," Perkins said.
Perkins said he is grateful that his 10-year-old son, who was swimming nearby, was not stung.
California stingray