Bristol woman almost loses foot after dolphin attack on holiday

‘I’ve never felt pain like it’
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

A woman on the trip of a lifetime was left fighting for her life - when a dolphin nearly bit her foot off during a wild swim. Claire Bye, 28, was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia, when a pink river dolphin bit her right foot.

After trying to get free she screamed for help, and onlookers frantically attempted to pull her out of the water. It took 20 seconds before the grey mammal released its grip and swam away, allowing Claire to climb out of the water to safety.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Claire was rushed to a local hospital a five-minute drive away, where her open wounds were seen to with 32 stitches. After four days her condition went downhill as she battled a potentially life-threatening infection and medics advised she be flown to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, for further treatment.

Claire then had to wait another two weeks before she could fly home to the UK. Once back home, she underwent skin flap surgery, where living tissue was transferred from her groin to her foot, at Southmead Hospital and she spent a further two weeks there recovering.

Claire, an acoustic consultant from Bedminster, said: “I’ve never felt pain like it. I remember seeing the dolphin out of the corner of my eye, and then it suddenly lunged at me. ’It wasn’t the cute looking dolphins were used to seeing, it had a huge beak with a mouthful of spiky teeth.

“I screamed and screamed, but it just wouldn’t let go of me. It felt like it had me for 15 minutes, but apparently it was about 20 seconds before it let go and swam away. After the attack, I was taken to a tiny local hospital that was nothing like the hospitals we have. They did the best they could, but I caught an infection that began to spread up my leg.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I honestly thought I’d lose my foot, or potentially my life.”

Claire set off on the trip of a lifetime in October, 2022 with plans to travel around South America and Central America for seven months. But on 3rd January 2023, only three months into her trip, Claire’s travels were cut short by the life-changing injuries.

Claire Bye who was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia, when a pink river dolphin suddenly bit her right foot.Claire Bye who was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia, when a pink river dolphin suddenly bit her right foot.
Claire Bye who was swimming in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia, when a pink river dolphin suddenly bit her right foot.

Claire and her friend Louis set off earlier that day on a jungle trek to explore the Amazon Basin - the part of South America drained by the Amazon River. They were led by an experienced tour guide, and joined by a group of fellow tourists. The group stopped at the river and spent time swimming and playing with the wild pink river dolphins.

Claire said: “There were mostly children swimming in the water with the dolphins. I saw one child try to pick up a dolphin, which made me feel uneasy, so I decided to get out of the water and onto the pontoon. That’s when the dolphins started to turn aggressive, and a few people got out of the water with scrapes on their legs where they’d been bitten.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Claire decided not to go back into the water, but instead opted to play with the dolphins with a water bottle, as demonstrated by their tour guide, from the safety of the pontoon. After a few minutes, Claire accidentally dropped the water bottle, so she hopped into the shallow water to retrieve it. Moments later, a dolphin lunged at Claire and bit down on her right foot.

Claire tried to climb out of the water, but the creature’s firm grip prevented her from breaking free. Claire explained: “The water was brown, and I was facing away so I couldn’t actually see it bite down on my foot. The people on the pontoon tried to help pull me up, but I couldn’t move because the dolphin wasn’t letting go.”

Claire Bye swimming with a dolphin in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, BoliviaClaire Bye swimming with a dolphin in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia
Claire Bye swimming with a dolphin in a river in Santa Rosa de Yacuma, Bolivia

The dolphin eventually released her foot, allowing her to climb out of the water. A bystander took off his t-shirt to tie around her foot to stem the bleeding, and Claire was carried to a nearby car and driven to the local hospital. Due to the lack of medical facilities in the area, Claire was transferred to Rurrenabaque, Bolivia - a four-hour drive away.

Once they arrived in Rurrenabaque, the hospital was full and Claire had to stay in a nearby hostel. Her wound became infected, and she required urgent medical treatment from Cemes Hospital in La Paz, Bolivia’s capital city. After frantic calls to the British embassy, Claire managed to fly to the capital the following day, where she underwent a surgical clean to treat the infection.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She later came back to Bristol where she was treated at Southmead. Investigations are currently underway to determine why the dolphins attacked, as other people have people have been bitten while swimming in the river since, despite there now being warning signs.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.