How to Treat a Stingray Sting

Carol-lynn Swol, a member of Potomac Valley Masters, was swimming at La Jolla Cove in Southern California recently when she met the business end of a stingray.

“I was entering the water and shuffling as needed,” she says, referring to the so-called “stingray shuffle” swimmers are encouraged to employ when entering shallow, sandy areas where stingrays may be hanging out.

As she gingerly picked her way into the sea to go for a training swim, Swol says the ground was bumpy. Just then, “a wave lifted me and my foot landed in a depression, disturbing a resting stingray.” That ray responded the only way it knew how—by whipping its long, barbed tail in the direction of the uninvited contact.

What Are Stingrays?

Stingrays are a group of fish in the batoid family which include skates, sawfishes, and guitarfish. In essence, stingrays are flattened sharks as they’re closely related to those wildly feared cartilaginous fish. Yet stingrays are nonaggressive and often look like flocks of birds, silently flapping and gliding under water.

The hallmark feature of the stingray is a long, whip-like tail with a sharp caudal barb on the end that the animal uses to defend itself against predators.

California State University Long Beach’s Shark Lab reports that “the barb is a unique weapon in that it not only can stick its attacker, but also can transmit a venom from the mucus coating on the barb. This can cause intense pain and throbbing—even the toughest surfer dudes have been brought to tears by stingrays.”

The barb’s spine is like a fingernail, in that it doesn’t contain any nerves and can be cut and will grow back without incident. 

CSULB’s Shark Lab reports that stingrays never use their barbs as an offensive tool—it’s purely for defense, so “to avoid getting stung by accidently stepping on a scared stingray at the beach, do the ‘stingray shuffle.’” This means shuffling your feet along the sand as you walk, instead of lifting your feet off the bottom. The shuffling movement “will cause the rays to scatter away,” and means they’re less likely to sting.

Still, as Swol’s experience shows, it’s possible that you’ll startle a stingray. If a stingray feels threatened or gets stepped on by an unsuspecting bather, it’s likely to react by swinging its tail upward, causing the barb to pierce the skin and inject venom.

For Swol, her encounter wasn’t terribly severe, but it still wasn’t a lot of fun. “I am lucky the wound is more of a series of three small gashes rather than [a deep wound from] being impaled by the barb,” she explains. But it still required some care and she had to contend with swelling and some pain for a few days.

Caring for a Stingray Sting

Here’s what to do if you find yourself the victim of a stingray’s sting.

• Exit the water immediately. The first step is to exit the water as quickly as possible to avoid further contact with the animal. Head for the nearest lifeguard stand for help.
• Remove any debris from the wound. Check the wound for any debris or fragments of the barb. Gently remove any foreign material to help prevent infection.
• Rinse with seawater. Rinse the affected area with seawater to clear away debris and any blood that may be present. Apply pressure to the wound if it’s bleeding.
• Soak in hot water. “The best and fastest thing to do is soak the sting in the hottest tolerable water for 60 to 90 minutes,” Swol says. Aim for a temperature range of 104 to 113 degrees, as this heat helps denature the venom and can reduce pain. Luckily, Swol notes, “the La Jolla lifeguard station has buckets and a hot water hose at the ready for foot stings.”
• Elevate the affected limb. Most stingray stings impact the feet, ankles, or lower legs. In these cases, its best to get the leg elevated once you’re clear of immediate danger to help prevent swelling.
• Manage pain with over-the-counter medication. You can use an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help manage the pain and reduce inflammation, just be sure to follow the proper dosing instructions to avoid potential side effects or overdose.
• Seek medical attention. Even if the pain subsides after first aid, it's still a really good idea to seek medical attention following a stingray sting so your doctor can verify that there aren’t any pieces of the barb still embedded in your skin and to prevent infection. A health care professional can assess the injury and prescribe antibiotics if necessary. And of course, if you’ve been stung in a more sensitive place, such as the face, neck, chest, or abdomen, or if you’re exhibiting signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, headache, or irregular heartbeat, seek emergency medical care straight away.
• Follow after-care instructions. Care for the wound as directed by your health care provider until it’s fully healed. Swol says that she was able to get back to swimming a few days later, once the wounds had fully closed.

Lastly, it’s worth saying again: Do your best to steer clear of stingrays and other wildlife anytime you’re in the water. Most aquatic creatures want nothing to do with you and are likely more scared of you than you are of them. Don’t corner, harass, or touch any sea creature in its natural habitat. If you encounter stingrays, marvel at their beauty and unique physiology from a safe distance to minimize the risk of an accidental sting.