A bikini-clad model got more than she bargained for during a tropical swim when a sea turtle decided her rear end looked like lunch.
Cynthia Benítez Fernández was enjoying the crystal-clear, turquoise waters of Zanzibar when the marine reptile snuck up from behind and clamped down on one of her glutes.
Video of the unexpected encounter shows the Dominican model in a skimpy black bikini and baseball cap, standing in shallow, green-tinted lagoon water surrounded by several large sea turtles. She reaches toward the animals as they glide around her, until one makes its move.
The turtle approaches from the rear, delivers a firm chomp, and Benítez Fernández jolts forward with a splash, arms flailing as she reacts to the sudden nip. The clip ends with a close-up of the evidence: a pair of red, slightly bloody marks left on her skin.
The incident happened while the model was on vacation in the East African archipelago, known for its popular turtle-swimming spots where tourists get up close with the creatures in natural lagoons.
The video, shared by Dominican outlet Noticias Pimentel, has already racked up hundreds of thousands of views and plenty of online laughs. Commenters couldn’t resist the obvious jokes about the turtle’s taste in “cheeks” and the model’s unexpected souvenir from paradise.Sea turtles in Zanzibar are often rescued and rehabilitated at local conservation sites, where visitors can swim among them. Most encounters stay friendly. This one clearly did not.
Benítez Fernández’s vacation just got a whole lot more memorable, and a little more painful.
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