A 13-year-old Texas girl suffered serious hand injuries after being bitten by a barracuda while celebrating her birthday on a family vacation in Turks and Caicos.

Claire Macdonel, a Sugar Land native, was swimming in waist-deep water when the attack took place in July.

According to KTUU, she was performing a handstand in four- to five-foot-deep water while wearing a shiny bracelet when the fish struck.

Speaking to Fox 26, Claire recalled the terrifying moment: “[It felt like] if your hand got stuck inside something’s mouth. 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.”

Once she surfaced, she looked down and realized her arm was covered in blood. She said she was scared, anxious, and crying the whole time.

Claire’s mother, Jen Macdonel, was in the water with her and helped her daughter immediately to the shore. Speaking with People, she said, “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. It was still just bleeding, and then, of course, my second thought was she was going to lose her hand.”

Upon reaching the beach, a stranger, who identified herself as a nurse, helped the family with the aid. Macdonel said, “I stepped back, and she created a tourniquet and helped stop the bleeding while we were waiting for the ambulance to arrive.”

Claire suffered multiple lacerations and puncture wounds to her hand. Doctors spent several hours cleaning the injuries before placing loose sutures. She is scheduled to undergo tendon repair surgery later this week.

Claire, an aspiring marine biologist, is not deterred from her dream because of the attack. She said, “Just because one bite happened, it doesn’t mean that I don’t love animals and I don’t want to study them. Even though something bad happened, you’ve got to keep going with your dreams.”

She believes the barracuda likely mistook her bracelet for prey. Barracudas are known to be visual hunters, relying heavily on sight while hunting. She hopes others would learn from her experience by avoiding wearing glittery or shiny objects while swimming.

Disclaimer: Inquisitr could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available.