Water damage in my iPhone 5c charging port. What to do?

Long story short. A few months ago I had a Lifeproof case on my iphone 5c and I took it into the ocean (Lifeproof WEBSITE said that it would be okay) and I knew something had happened. Right after I brought it out of the ocean, I got a message on my screen that said "this charging device is not supported by apple" I was instantly worried. Turns out, my phone no longer charged. I knew a little bit of water had gotten into the charging port, but the rest of the iphone worked perfectly fine. I tried cleaning it out with various items. I finally got it to charge, but it took a lot of effort. I had to sit in front of the charger taking it in and out in and out for 20 minutes. And I now have to do this everynight. I also took it to the Apple Store and they said it was water damage and that I had to replace it, which I obviously haven't done! I still have the phone and just have to spend a lot of time trying to get it to charge everyday. Two questions… What is causing this and is there ANY way to fix it? I would do ANYTHING!

Try to bring it to your local best buy and talk to the Geek Squad they fix anything from phones to computers. Also, if you know any small business's local to your area I'm sure there's a small tech store that would be happy to help you.

I would never take a phone in water no matter what some site says. With water damage and salt since you said ocean, I think you are lucky it even turns on. I would back it up right now if there's anything you want to save on it.