April 2013

     I was so excited to be THE mermaid for the 2013 Hawaiian Ocean Expo!  It was two days of pictures, pictures, pictures!  Approximately 10,000 people showed up over the weekend, and I was able to teach many kids about sea life.  Many children agreed to help me pick up trash on the beach and in the oceans to help the sea animals live longer.  It was such a great experience, and I was also happy that Mermaid Ayesha could come join me on Saturday.  One of my fondest memories of that day was when three girls asked me how I got there, and I told them that my photographer brought me so I could teach them about sea life.  Then they found Mermaid Ayesha's tail under the table (this was when she was walking around).  I explained to them that she was a selkie (a mermaid who can take off her tail), but if a human takes her tail, she has no choice but to follow that human.  They asked who took her tail, and I told them my photographer did so she could help me teach about sea life.  I think they were a little distraught by the intentions of my photographer to have us sit there all day, hehe, but I assured them that we were so happy to be there, which made it all better!  
     Another funny story was when some kids asked why my tail was so dry and I told them I had been out of the water for too long.  They wanted to go get me some water so I wouldn't dry out anymore.  So sweet!  I assured them I would be in the water soon enough!  :-)  It was such a fun experience and I have already been contacted to return next year, yay!    

     I also had the privilege to model for Lisa, a photographer in Honolulu.  We had such a great shoot!  That day, the waves were huge!  They were about 9-10 ft, which is the largest I have ever seen.  The power of the ocean is so fascinating; I wanted to jump right in!  Well, the ocean must have heard my calling because I was sitting on some very sharp rocks overlooking the water about an hour (moving around wasn't much of an option, I had bruises on my legs for a week after).  The rocks were a good 12 ft or so off the water, and I was a good 6-10 ft in from the edge.  I was posing for a photo and BAM!  A huge (what seemed like) tidal wave came over the back of me.  In the photo, you can hardly even see me in the wave.  It was very unexpected, but the ocean came to me when I couldn't go to it.  This is one of the photos taken after the wave.  More photos to come!