An American nurse needed 100 stitches after a shark sank its teeth in her left as she snorkelled off the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.

Delia Yriarte, 42, from Mexico and now lives in San Jose, California, watched as the water around her turned red when she was attacked while on holiday.

The single mum had been heading back to short from snorkelling near the tiny Galápagos islet of Mosquera.

‘I felt a little bit of a touch, not a pull not nothing like that and after that I felt my leg a little numb, then I kept pedalling and I felt that my leg wasn’t responding,” she told NBC Bay Area.

She added: ‘When I turned I noticed blood, and I said, “I have an injury but I have no idea what kind”.’

Delia shouted for help and managed to get the attention of people nearby before losing consciousness.

Yriarte suffered serious injuries to her right leg (Picture: Jam Press)

Delia’s family is now raising money to help reunite her with her daughter (Picture: NBC/KNTV)

Footage from the terrifying moment shows people lifting Delia off a dinghy with her left wrapped to stop the bleeding.

But the entire time Delia said she had no idea why she was bleeding in the first place – she didn’t realise a shark had bitten her.

As she received treatment at the Hospital Republica del Ecuador on Santa Cruz Island, a doctor broke the news about the shark attack.

They suggested a blacktip shark, which can be up to 4’9″ in size, might have been behind the attack.

The bite of a blacktip shark, found in tropical waters and coral reefs, has one of the strongest bites of any shark, according to experts.

The Ecuadorian Navy said she was later transferred to San Cristóbal Island before being flown out on a plane to Guayaquil on the mainland.

She had to have more than 100 stitches (Picture: Jam Press Vid)

‘Five tendon repairs, over 100 sutures in my leg, I still have some loss of tissue that needs to be grafted and probably a few more surgeries,’ Delia said.

A harrowing video later showed a medical professional helping Delia to exercise her leg, now a patchwork of stitches.

Doctors say it might take months for Delia to walk again, the road to recovery likely involving more surgeries and physio therapy.

Delia’s family is now raising money to pay for her travel and medical expenses as she tries to get back to her daughter, 15.

‘Delia is not only a dedicated nurse but also a loving single mother who has tirelessly worked to provide for her family,’ the GoFundMe says.

‘Her commitment to her profession and her unwavering support for those in need has touched the lives of many.’

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She didn’t even realise it was a shark attack.