A Texas teen’s dream birthday trip to Turks and Caicos turned terrifying when she was bitten by a barracuda in shallow water and looked down to see “blood everywhere.”
Claire Macdonel, 13, had traveled from Sugar Land, Texas, with her family in July to celebrate her birthday. The vacation was especially exciting for Claire, an aspiring marine biologist who loves the ocean. But on the very first day of the trip, a frightening encounter in the water left her needing emergency treatment and upcoming surgery.
Claire told KHOU 11 that she was in about four or five feet of water when she did an underwater handstand while wearing a shiny bracelet. Suddenly, she felt intense pressure on her arm.
“It felt like if your hand got stuck inside something’s mouth,” Claire told Fox 26. “I just felt a big bite and then when I moved my hand, it just went away. I looked behind me and saw a big silver tail.”
When she stood up, she realized how badly she had been hurt.
“I saw blood everywhere,” Claire recalled to KHOU 11. “It was running through my whole arm, and it was just like a horror movie.”
The teen said she immediately became overwhelmed.
“I was very scared. I was just anxious, like I was crying the whole time,” she told Fox 26.
Claire’s mother, Jen Macdonel, was in the water with her daughter and quickly helped get her back to shore. Once they were on the beach, a stranger stepped forward and identified herself as a nurse.
“She stepped in and said, ‘I’m a nurse. Can I please help?’ And I said, ‘Yes, please,’” Jen told KHOU 11. “So I stepped back, and she made a tourniquet and helped stop the bleeding while we waited for the ambulance to arrive.”
Jen said the amount of blood was terrifying, and she feared the worst.
“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,” she told Fox 26. “It was still just bleeding and then, of course, my second thought was she was going to lose her hand.”
Claire was taken to a local hospital, where doctors focused on stabilizing her and lowering the risk of infection. Her mother said an orthopedic surgeon treated the wound, and Claire spent several hours in the emergency room before receiving a loose suture and being discharged.
Despite the frightening start, Claire was able to continue the family vacation. Since returning home to Texas, however, she has been scheduled for tendon repair surgery later this week.
The attack has not changed Claire’s love for the ocean or her dream of becoming a marine biologist.
“Just because one bite happened, it doesn’t change that I love animals and want to study them,” Claire told KHOU 11. “Even though something bad happened, you’ve got to keep going with your dreams.”
Her mother said Claire has kept an impressive attitude through the ordeal — and even gave the barracuda a name.
“She’s an inspiration to all of us. If you fall, you get right back up,” Jen said, adding that Claire named the fish Suzie. “She’s like, ‘I’m not mad at the ocean. I’m a little mad at Suzie, but we’ll get over it.’”
Now, the family is sharing Claire’s story as a warning to other vacationers.
Jen told Fox 26 that swimmers should remember there is always some risk in the water, even during a beautiful family trip.
“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.
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