Hukilau Mermaid

Caught on videotape. I don't know how to post vids here, so you will just have to click http://www.nicefishy.com/ and scroll down. Very mysterious. Very magical.

Coooool! So sorry that i missed it....

Confessions of a mermaid......

When Kiliki first expressed the idea of having a mermaid swim at the Yankee Clipper, I was extremely intrigued. As a little girl growing up on the space coast, my dad would frequently take us on "Florida drives," where we explored countless kitschy Florida treasures, most gone now.
Weeki Wachee mermaids imprinted into my psyche so strongly that I repeatedly declared that I wanted to be one when I grew up.

In April of 2005, Annette of Hula-Hula productions hired me to model in mermaid garb as a tribute to the Weeki Wachee maidens at her acclaimed Floridana Antique Show in St Petersburg.
Many of the original mermaids of the 50's and 60's appeared at the show to promote a documentary film of the Weeki Wachee phenomena. This little Florida gal felt extremely honored to pay homage to the amazing women of Weeki Wachee; and to make a great day even better, the Mer-Tailor gifted me with the costume I modeled.

I never thought my childhood dream would ever manifest , and then came Kiliki's request...
I asked her to hold the thought until I could test swim the "tail" to see if I could even maneuver underwater. It took about 20 minutes in the YMCA pool to figure out the technique, and when I did it was incredible! It felt so natural to propel underwater and I resented having to come up for air. I excitedly emailed Kiliki that the mermaid was a "GO" for the event.

When the day came & I was getting into costume for the swim, I was so nervous that my hands were shaking. I didn't know if anybody would come see the swim, and I was concerned that my jitters would affect my underwater stamina. I had no idea that so many people were collecting in the Wreck Bar. Well I found out as soon as I made the first pass by the windows. Although I could not see into the windows, I heard a roar of voices as I swam by--and I was wearing ear plugs!!! Your cheers and claps were unbelievably exciting. I only wish that I could breath underwater so I didn't have to go up for air so often. (I'll have to work on that.)

Thank you Kiliki, thank you Hukilau-ers, for making a little girl's dream come true.

It was great meeting you both, I will get you some of the other pictures soon.
ps And I think I am going to have to photoshop that waiter and his silly face out of this picture!

Thanks Tikikiliki for all you do!

[ Edited by: Bohemiann 2006-10-15 20:01 ]

[ Edited by: Bohemiann 2006-10-15 20:02 ]

Hi Tiki Bree,

That vid is of the only time you swam past the far right window, but I'm thrilled because it is a very mystical shot I was able to capture. Heck, I got there just in time to secure the last window seat. Still, it was a magical moment.

Thank you, Raffertiki, for catching it, I've gotten a lot of cool feedback from your video.

Since I wasn't able to rehearse in the pool, it was challenging to figure out which windows gave the best view for everyone.

Thank you very much for coming and watching.

TikiBree, thanks for your incredible effort and a fantastic show! You brought back fond memories for this Fla girl! Hope to see it repeated at future events...

RevBambooBen, is that you in your MaiKai shirt(still looks good on ya)handing out drinks in the photo above? :D

[ Edited by: kikekeki 2006-11-02 10:04 ]

On 2006-11-02 10:03, kikekeki wrote:
TikiBree, thanks for your incredible effort and a fantastic show! You brought back fond memories for this Fla girl! Hope to see it repeated at future events...
[ Edited by: kikekeki 2006-11-02 10:04 ]

From one "Fla Girl" to another...you are most welcome!!! With so much of Florida's fun history fading away, it was an honor to pay homage to a part of it.

Speaking of fond memories, you must see the The Florida Show in St Pete on Nov 12th at the Coliseum. This antique show is chock full of amazing relics of Florida's past. Ms Hula Hula's post gives all the details.......

Mahalo!
It's already on my calendar...
See you there :D

That Waiter Stole My shirt Man!!!

Someone has posted a couple of videos of a mermaid (not Bre-elle) swimming past the windows of the Wreck Bar. It appears the Yankee Clipper has hired a mermaid to swim the waters again! Maybe this is due to the overwhelming reception Bre-elle received when she did her mermaid magic. Here are the videos:

Video 1
Video 2 (longer and more close-ups)

Hold on a minute, is that Robert Downey Jr. moonlighting as a Mai Kai waiter? Watch out for the half full drinks he's serving.

I remember that waiter! Could it be?! :wink:

Ooh a pink one!

It's awesome that the Hukilau jumpstarted this old tradition at the Shipwreck. It hope it does well for them. Damn, I should open a bar like this on Long Island.

Bump a mermaid for the holidays.

She was perfect!! Bree - you're my hero darlin'....

It's true!
I'm happy to announce that the Yankee Clipper has again further embraced the Wreck Bar Mermaid, having consistent weekly to bi-weekly shows. I was formerly a Mai-Kai (2000-2003) & Teauilla's Hawaii (1997-2000) performer before donning the fishtail more frequently for film shoots, pool side luaus & other events. It's great to now finally have a "home" swimming at the Wreck Bar. Thanks Bree- for representing the fishtails along with the cocktails ~

Here are a couple more vids- hope you enjoy them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgTpxUrr6kg

Brand new one here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYcpebYb3v4

See ya's at the Wreck Bar sometime!

Maururu,
Marina (Malia)~

[ Edited by: TikiMermaidMarina 2007-02-08 21:38 ]

Marina!

Good to see you here on TC.

Glad the mermaid gig is working out for you.

Such a drag that the suits in the hotel took so long to get hip to such an obviously great idea - but all's well that ends well.

Great to see such a classic lounge tradition revived, thanks to Bree's shining example (see how packed the bar was at the Hukilau!):

...and now thanks to the persistence of Marina, who had to battle the indifference of the management. Marina also performed in a different incarnation at the Jetsetter Lounge event at the Hukilau, and it's great to have met a dancer that performed at such classic Tiki temples as the Mai Kai and the Hawaiian Inn AND is totally into Tiki. She was the first to show the Book of Tiki to the Mai Kai management when she worked there, thank you.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2007-02-10 10:01 ]

GROG in love.