Claire Macdonel, 13, was vacationing with her family in the Turks and Caicos on July 19 when a barracuda bit her left hand.
It was her first full day in the Caribbean nation, and she was playing in shallow water near the shoreline.
"I was doing a handstand, and then midway I just felt a lot of pressure," Macdonel told Eyewitness News.
"There was just blood pouring down my arm, like rushing," she said.
Macdonel, who dreams of becoming a marine biologist, said that when she turned around, she caught a side of a silver tail and was able to put two and two together.
"I just called my mom. I was like, 'Mom, something bit me. I don't know what to do,'" she said.
A nurse just happened to be swimming at the beach and used a towel to make a tourniquet while Macdonel and her family waited for an ambulance.
"I just remember thinking we couldn't get to the hospital fast enough. I was very afraid. We're in a foreign country," said Macdonel's mother, Jennifer.
The barracuda tore four of Macdonel's tendons, one ligament, and severed a nerve.
Doctors recommended monitoring her injuries for signs of infection before attempting surgery, so the Macdonels continued their vacation.
And the barracuda bite didn't keep Claire out of the water.
"I feel like there's always going to be risk in the ocean. It is their home. I'm not mad. I'm a little bit, obviously a little bit mad at Susie the Barracuda. I named her Susie, but I feel like there's always gonna be risk," she said.
Claire underwent surgery on Wednesday and expects to fully regain the use of her hand.