Swim Instructor Gets 38 Stitches After Lake Tahoe Otter Attack

A Nevada swim instructor required 38 stitches after being attacked by a river otter during a morning swim in Lake Tahoe over the weekend. Lynette Bellin, 51, was swimming near Hidden Beach on the lake's northeast shore on Sunday, August 30, when the animal grabbed her leg and pulled her underwater. Bellin, a certified infant swimming resource instructor, said she had been in the water for about 30 minutes when the attack began. She initially thought a person had grabbed her, but soon realized it was an otter. "It was so powerful it felt like a human," Bellin told reporters. "And then I felt the teeth and claws, and it was relentless." She fought back with her hands and feet for what she described as approximately five minutes, attempting to push the animal away and even trying to throw it. The otter pursued her as she struggled to reach nearby rocks, which were too slippery to climb. Bellin yelled for help but said no one on a nearby bike trail could hear her. She eventually reached a larger rock, pulling herself out of the water, but the otter continued to circle the area below. Afraid to re-enter the water, Bellin climbed over a fence to reach the East Shore Bike Trail.