Texas Teen to Undergo Surgery After Barracuda Bite in Turks and Caicos

A 13-year-old girl from Texas will require surgery after she was bitten by a barracuda during her family’s vacation to Turks and Caicos. Last week, Claire Macdonel and her family traveled from their Houston-area home to the islands for a vacation. She told Fox 26 that she was doing a handstand in the water when she felt a "lot of pressure" on her hand and then a "big bite." "At that moment, I went down for a handstand and I just felt a lot of pressure, like if your hand got stuck inside something’s mouth," she explained. She told the outlet that she was wearing a resort wristband on one arm and a shiny bracelet on the other at the time of the incident and believes that the accessories may have caught the barracuda’s attention in the same way a fishing lure might. The 13-year-old said she looked behind her after she was bitten and saw a large, silver-tailed fish swimming away, which left her anxious and scared. Jen Macdonel, the girl’s mother, told Fox 26 that she initially thought her daughter was going to "bleed out,” but a stranger who happened to be a nurse rushed to their assistance and dressed the girl’s wounds, KHOU 11 reports. "I’ve never seen that much blood and I couldn’t get it to stop even with the tourniquet when we were in the ambulance," the mother said. She was also concerned that her daughter might lose her hand. Photos provided by the family to the broadcaster showed some of the damage to the girl’s hand including numerous cuts and one enormous laceration. The 13-year-old said she wants to share what happened to her in hopes that other people will learn and avoid similar incidents. "Be careful because there’s a risk. Take off all your jewelry before you go into the water and enjoy your time with your family because you never know what could happen," she said. Macdonel will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair the tendons in her hand and is expected to make a full recovery. She told the outlet that even though her experience in the ocean was frightening, it won’t deter her from her dream of becoming a marine biologist one day. Barracudas rarely interact with humans in the wild, but most non-diving interactions occur when the fish make an occasional visit into shallow waters. The "stingray shuffle"—the act of shuffling one’s feet in shallow water to avoid stepping on stingrays—is also an effective way to avoid stepping on barracudas hiding out in the shallows.