Today we travel to sunny Florida, home of Mermaid Melissa. You may have seen Melissa recently on television, in magazine articles, or at special events. You may have been lucky enough to see her at a convention or one of her aquarium shows. To learn more about Mermaid Melissa, let's go back a few years...
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| Mermaid Melissa |
In 2005, Melissa realized her goal of finishing her Scuba courses and becoming PADI certified for open water diving. This allowed her to explore the underwater world without having to come up for air every few minutes.
Aquariums have always been a source of inspiration to Melissa, and she soon began working with marine mammals, including killer whales and dolphins. Dolphins have always been her favorite animal, and she has enjoyed swimming with them since she was as a young girl.
Many young girls dream of being a mermaid. Movies such as The Little Mermaid and Splash, combined with her love of the ocean, prompted Melissa to venture into the then little known field of Professional Mermaid. She began to focus her energy into making this happen.
YouTube and social networking gave Mermaid Melissa a way of reaching the masses with an important message, “Let’s save the oceans before all creatures become mythical.” Instead of painting a picture of gloom and doom, Melissa works hard to entertain with a positive message. She does this while promoting ways to enjoy our oceans and waterways while we work to save them.
Like most merfolk, Melissa keeps a very busy schedule. Her adventures include television appearances, music videos, magazine articles, aquarium shows, conventions, promotions, special events, mermaid birthday parties, stunt work, film and commercial projects.
I was able to interview Mermaid Melissa recently via email...
Cynthia: Melissa, do you have an amusing story, such as one involving meeting humans when out swimming?
Melissa: Every time is amazing for me. The chain reaction
of, "Look there's a mermaid!" tends to flow through the water. If I
find someone who is not paying attention, I will purposely swim underwater a
very long distance past them, to startle them. If in that one moment, I can
make them question if they did in fact see a real mermaid... my job is done!
Cynthia: Do you have a message for those just starting out in the mermaid profession?
Melissa: Do it for the love of being a mermaid and having fun. I get asked a lot how to become a "pro mermaid" and to be honest... it is not something you can apply for from the paper. Every once in a while you may find a place to show your awesome tail to the world, but the goal is to have fun! Everyone's path is different in life -no matter what species. Make it unique by having your mermaid tail and personality be a refection of who you are on the inside.
Cynthia: What is your favorite color for your tail?
Melissa: I love my blue tail best... but there are so many colors I like to combine, that I continue to add more because I have many colorful sides to my mermaid personality.
Cynthia: Do you have a favorite mermaid themed story or novel?
Melissa: Getting handed a signed copy of, "Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale" by Carolyn Turgeon at FaerieCon 2011 -stands out in my mind as a very special mermaid moment!
Cynthia: Anything out of the ordinary happen at a mermaid birthday party?
Melissa: You mean besides kids asking if they can "ride a mermaid" lol! There is no filter on kids, so they say anything and everything. The questions are creative, odd, and funny. I had one birthday girl stroke my tail like you would a cat and kiss the fluke a lot... that pretty much took the cake for me and her mom to giggle about!
Cynthia: Anything else you would like to share?
Melissa: Lots of new/exciting things developing... So don't be surprised to see glimpses of me doing creative new projects in the weeks to come!
Let's all give Mermaid Melissa a big wave and splash, for all you do for our aquatic friends. Thank you!
Seaview
Most of you are familiar with Google Earth where you can get up close and personal with your own neighborhood as well as locations around the world. But what if you could take a look under the surface of the ocean? The Catlin Seaview Survey will allow us to do just that.
The mapping of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia begins in September of 2012. The Seaview camera has a depth range of zero to 100 meters, so there will be a lot to see!
For more information on this project, see Dara Kerr's article on CNET.
Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com
Cynthia: Do you have a message for those just starting out in the mermaid profession?
Melissa: Do it for the love of being a mermaid and having fun. I get asked a lot how to become a "pro mermaid" and to be honest... it is not something you can apply for from the paper. Every once in a while you may find a place to show your awesome tail to the world, but the goal is to have fun! Everyone's path is different in life -no matter what species. Make it unique by having your mermaid tail and personality be a refection of who you are on the inside.
Cynthia: What is your favorite color for your tail?
Melissa: I love my blue tail best... but there are so many colors I like to combine, that I continue to add more because I have many colorful sides to my mermaid personality.
Cynthia: Do you have a favorite mermaid themed story or novel?
Melissa: Getting handed a signed copy of, "Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale" by Carolyn Turgeon at FaerieCon 2011 -stands out in my mind as a very special mermaid moment!
Cynthia: Anything out of the ordinary happen at a mermaid birthday party?
Melissa: You mean besides kids asking if they can "ride a mermaid" lol! There is no filter on kids, so they say anything and everything. The questions are creative, odd, and funny. I had one birthday girl stroke my tail like you would a cat and kiss the fluke a lot... that pretty much took the cake for me and her mom to giggle about!
Cynthia: Anything else you would like to share?
Melissa: Lots of new/exciting things developing... So don't be surprised to see glimpses of me doing creative new projects in the weeks to come!
Let's all give Mermaid Melissa a big wave and splash, for all you do for our aquatic friends. Thank you!
Seaview
Most of you are familiar with Google Earth where you can get up close and personal with your own neighborhood as well as locations around the world. But what if you could take a look under the surface of the ocean? The Catlin Seaview Survey will allow us to do just that.
The mapping of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia begins in September of 2012. The Seaview camera has a depth range of zero to 100 meters, so there will be a lot to see!
For more information on this project, see Dara Kerr's article on CNET.
Best wishes and starfishes,
-Mermaid Cynthia
cynthia (at) goldmermaid.com
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