How You Can Live Life As A Mermaid On Oahu
If you are looking to get into something different on Oahu AND love mermaids, here’s your chance to be one for the day! I was randomly scrolling through a list of activities to do on Oahu online and came across this cool mermaid experience through the Mermaid Republic, so I thought why not! First things first, the best time of the day to do any underwater shoot would be around noon when the sunlight is directly above the water. Also, the fish are still pretty active at this time which is a plus! During this experience, my mer-instructor Ricki and I saw a blowfish, an upside-down jellyfish, and other cool marine life. To prep, I bought a haku lei (flower crown) because I wanted to emphasize that I was a mermaid IN Hawaii! In addition to the crown, I bought a purple shell bra and called ahead to make sure it matched my tail. I wanted to bring some shell jewelry but opted out because I felt I was being too extra lol.
I knew there were going to be 2 parts to this shoot (land and sea) so I planned ahead. If you don’t plan to take underwater shots I recommend coming at sunrise or sunset to get the colorful sky and take advantage of the soft light. I also asked Justin to be an additional prop haha!
I will say that there were people who were staring at me during the shoot which made things awkward for 2 seconds, but after I got over that, I was fully committed to this and owned my mermaid transformation with the various tail flicks. Ricki my freediving, mermaid godmother/instructor helped me get into the water and gave me pointers on how to move.
Let’s talk about the levels of swimming experience and how you can make the most of it while enjoying this one-of-a-kind experience.
Beginner: If you don’t know how to swim and still want to get in the water, that’s fine. Ricki will give you a floaty and you can snorkel and move around with your tail with no problem. Intermediate: If you can somewhat know how to swim then at this point it’s just a matter of holding your breath and moving around with your tail. Expert: This is where you can maximize your experience by straight-up freediving into the bottom of the magic lagoon and hanging out with all of ariels friends!
Overall, I had an amazing time as a solo mermaid. I do think it would have been fun to get my friends involved but again being a mermaid isn’t for everyone! I thought it was a magical experience with the perfect elements, clear water, tropical fish, and a mermaid instructor who can dive deep enough to get the vision I was looking for! Just have fun!
