Take note of beachgoers in Los Angeles County: health officials are waving the red flag on some of your favorite coastal hotspots. Due to a spike in bacteria levels that would make your skin crawl, warnings have been issued urging the public to avoid getting their feet wet at several popular beaches. The potentially health-hazardous areas include Santa Monica Canyon Creek at Will Rogers State Beach, Santa Monica Pier, Redondo Beach Pier, Mothers Beach in Marina Del Rey, and Inner Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, according to the latest advisory from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

The alert, which was released on April 25th, specifically advises to steer clear of a 100-yard stretch up and down the coast from the aforementioned piers, and the entire swim areas of both Mothers Beach and Inner Cabrillo Beach. These measures are a precaution following test results that showed bacterial levels shooting past what's deemed safe by health standards. Beach lovers should think twice before taking one dip too many or catching waves that are more sickening than stoked.

In the statement obtained by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the public is advised to exercise caution and check the latest updates on water quality. Fortunately for some, not all news is bad. The department lifted warnings for Topanga Canyon Beach in Malibu, where the waters have gone back to playing nice with state water quality standards.

For those who can't resist the call of the surf, you'll still need to wait it out or find cleaner shores. The county offers a 24-hour beach closure hotline at 1-800-525-5662 so you can check if it's safe to slather on the sunscreen or if you'll have to take that sun hat another day. Information on beach conditions, including a map of affected areas, is readily available at PublicHealth.LACounty.gov/Beach/, ensuring you can keep up-to-date on which waves are worth riding and which are just dirty water.