My time at the beach.

So I find myself to be a moderate thalassophobe, seeing how I can tolerate going into the ocean and swimming in ~6ft of water. However just yesterday I'm back to having full-blown thalassophobia.I was in the ocean at the beach in Coronado (Southern California). It was around 11AM and no one was really in the water. I think to myself, "oh awesome, more swim room." I venture a little further than the rest of the crowd. The water was only up to my tits. I'm treading the seabed and as I take another step, I feel something grasp the tender part of my foot (between the ball and heel) and shoot prong into me. I thought it was a crab trying to pinch me at first, until the barb slid in and out.It was a stingray. The pain was one of the worst, especially since it lasted for over an hour. Only bubbling hot water could relieve the pain. So now I have a nice gash from the barb and first degree burns on the top of my foot. And the memory of something grabbing and stabbing me from underneath the sea.Suffice to say, the experience reinforced my fear of the unpredictable sea.PS, I don't recommend swimming in Coronado beach atm.