Tiny Red Crabs Invade OC Beaches

By MIRNA ALFONSO (Patch Staff)

The beaches in south Orange County were covered Friday in little red crabs -- known as pelagic red, or tuna crabs, lured further north by the warmer El Nino waters, a lifeguard lieutenant told Patch.

Usually seen south of San Diego, the critters covered the shore in San Clemente, Dana Point, Laguna and even Newport Beach Sunday. The crabs first washed up en mass in San Diego County on Friday, and local swimmers and fisherman have been seeing them in the water as far north as Seal Beach.

“They are just washing up. it’s kind of a normal activity. We see it every once in a while,” said Lt. James Gartland.

“They tend to swarm; they follow currents and warm water,” Gartland added.

Gartland said El Nino had kept the ocean water in the region at a balmy 64 degrees all winter; temperatures usually drop down to the mid 50s during those months.

The waters should heat up as summer goes into full swing, with the warmest temperatures usually felt in July through September.

At their densest, the tuna crabs on local beaches number about 10 crabs per square foot.

“They don’t move too far up the California coast,” Gartland said. “They usually stay south of San Diego”

Photo: NOAA