As San Diego's pristine beaches increasingly resemble a microbial minefield, beachgoers across the county have been served a hefty dose of reality along with their holiday cheer. According to The Times of San Diego, health officials lifted a general advisory for beaches countywide, which initially had cautioned against activities like swimming and surfing due to unhealthy bacteria levels during recent storms.

Specific hotspots still under closure include bogged-down gems such as the Imperial Beach Shoreline and the Tijuana Slough Shoreline, burdened with cross-boundary contamination. Meanwhile, Coronado Shoreline remains a no-go area with closures firmly in place, all to ensure folks don't inadvertently turn their bodies into petri dishes. To helpfully remind you, www.sdbeachinfo.com can be your beacon of safety in these murky waters.

Beach advisories are also the new norm for places like OB-Dog Beach and various locales around Mission Bay, where advice seemingly flows as copiously as the tainted waters. "Bacteria levels exceed health standards," is the parroted line for each of these advisories, per the detailed breakdown from www.sdbeachinfo.com.

But it's not just about avoiding a splash in the Pacific. This bacterial bonanza, which has coasted through since at least the unpleasantries of a November rainstorm, now forces locals and tourists to rethink their beach day strategies briskly. "Avoid water contact in the advisory area," has become a mantra chanted by health officials and echoed by Hoodline in their recent posting.