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Thousands of tiny red crabs stranding on California beach

Sylvie Bergeron, of San Diego and her sister Line Bergeron, of Quebec, walk over tuna crabs that washed up onto the beach at Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach, Calif. Friday, May 13, 2016 . Pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California but currents that are part of the El Nino weather pattern are sweeping them north. (Kevin Sullivan/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT Sylvie Bergeron, of San Diego and her sister Line Bergeron, of Quebec, walk over tuna crabs that washed up onto the beach at Shaw's Cove in Laguna Beach, Calif. Friday, May 13, 2016 . Pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California but currents that are part of the El Nino weather pattern are sweeping them north. (Kevin Sullivan/The Orange County Register via AP) MAGS OUT; LOS ANGELES TIMES OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

By Associated Press May 14, 2016 1 min read

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Thousands of tiny red crabs are carpeting beaches in Orange County and creating an amazing spectacle for swimmers and surfers.

Lifeguards estimate that hundreds of thousands of the tiny crustaceans washed up Friday on beaches in Newport Beach.

Others were spotted in Laguna Beach.

The Orange County Register reports that (http://bit.ly/1WwUGne ) pelagic red crabs are usually found off Baja California, but currents that are part of the El Nino weather pattern are sweeping them north.

The 1- to 3-inch-long crabs have washed up for several years along the Orange County coastline.