In a performance protest against the Australian shark cull and the global slaughter of sharks, Hannah Fraser risked it all to dance on the sea floor with swarms of tiger sharks up to 17 feet long without any dive or protective gear. This woman blows me away. Truly. I have a great amount of respect for her – my sister also freedives and “dances” with underwater creatures. This is a photo of Hannah Mermaid and my sister Emily swimming with dolphins at Makua with photographer Red Mahan.

 

 

I know how HARD it is, challenging and ultimately freeing. I could not wait to ask Hannah mermaid a few questions about her underwater adventure in the Bahamas. I planned to write an article but found that it was much more powerful in her own words…

 

Tigress Shark – Woman Dances with Tiger Sharks from Blue Sphere Media on Vimeo

 

When did you start dancing?

I’m not a trained dancer, but I’ve always loved dancing. I have been an underwater model/mermaid for 12 years… although I made my first mermaid tail when I was 9 years old.

 

How is dancing underwater different from dancing above water?

Below water is weightless, slow and like flying. Above water is working with gravity and fast movements in the air.

 

Did you have to use weights in order to stay on the bottom?

I had twelve pounds of weight to keep me down on the ocean floor.

 

How far down was this piece filmed?

Twenty-five feet deep

 

How long can you hold your breath for?

I can do a three-minute static breath hold and around 2 minutes while dancing underwater, but that’s the maximum.

 

Who did the body art?

Hollywood body paint artist Julia Chavez

 

What is the message you are trying to send with this video?

To present these magnificent creatures in a true and positive light by capturing iconic imagery of human – shark interaction. All of the groundbreaking short films and amazing photographs Shawn and I have created have been aimed at inspiring CHANGE and creating direct action for OCEAN CONSERVATION. Our upcoming film ‘Tears of a Mermaid’ creates a strong platform to share our message of caring for the ecosystem and finding ways to harmoniously connect with magnificent sea creatures.

Have you ever been afraid of sharks? In particular, tiger sharks?

Yes, before I swam with sharks (the first time was about 5 years ago) I was afraid of them. But I also realized after talking to true shark experts that my fear was based on media scare tactics and misinformation.

 

Why are you not afraid of sharks?

I was feeling very anxious the first time I got in the water with the tiger sharks! As I clung to the arm of my safety diver and watched the seasoned shark divers interact with them I began to realize that the tiger sharks were more aware, intelligent and interactive than I had expected. They were wary, yet curious… really interested in us – not as food, but as curiosities to interact with. They seemed to know beyond a doubt that we were not on their menu. After learning their behavior, I didn’t find them to be threatening and scary, yet I never forgot the danger represented by being in the ocean with one of the world’s biggest apex predators. They are like wary wolves; they know their own strength, but they don’t take risks.

 

The most important aspect was figuring out how their minds worked. Finding out what triggered them to use their mouths and teeth to inspect or react to situations. And of course how to avoid doing any of those actions or movements that might provoke them! We avoided wearing anything light colored because that may catch their eye and look like a little fish, causing them to bite by accident. I learned how to touch them in the right way to allow a connection that they felt comfortable with, and amazingly enough, I found out that they actually love being tickled on the nose!

 

My awe, respect and wariness will never go away when meeting these magnificent creatures, but the unnecessary fear has washed away in an ocean of appreciation for how cool sharks are!

 

 

What was this experience like for you?

The challenges of this shoot were extreme! In addition to over a decade of breath hold experience, I undertook a special free dive regiment a month prior to extend my breath hold, a critical step necessary to handle the added pressure and safety requirements for this dangerous shoot. The biggest challenge was getting to know and understand the shark’s behavior. There are very specific ways to interact and enable a profound connection with tiger sharks, however if I made a mistake and caused the sharks to become startled or worse yet, view me as prey, the consequences could have been severe. Underwater, the support team and especially the safety divers were my lifeline for air and also a buffer against curious tiger sharks when I was prepping for the next dance. Having this team lock-step through every phase of the performances was essential to both the safety factor and achieving the creative vision for the shoot. Underwater communications were essential to coordinating team moments, communicating possible risks, and orchestrating the dance moments.

 

Every time I got in the water I had to be painted from head to toe in an artistic dark blue/black patterning, that not only created a unique artistic impression but also minimized the shark’s perception of me as a potential meal. Applying the paint was a challenge in itself, as the boat was constantly rocking violently from side to side in heavy swell, coupled with periodic squalls dumping torrential rainfall and heavy winds blowing the paint away while the artist struggled to spray it onto my body.

 

I also wore underwater contact lenses that provided modest vision underwater without a facemask, however the lenses were a challenge to keep in my eyes under the extreme circumstances. I was weighted to keep me anchored to the ocean floor, preventing me from floating up and risking pulmonary edema and unwanted attention from a large shark… the most dangerous place to be is the surface as sharks can mistake a human for a turtle or other food that is splashing around above them.

 

Lastly, the water temperature of around 80 degrees was at first comfortable but quickly drained my core body temperature, and as the shoot progressed the risk of hypothermia increased. Each time I came out of the water I was chilled to the bone, shaking and shivering despite the hot water the crew poured on me to warm me up!

 

However, the interaction with Sharks filled me with excitement and elation, and dispelled the idea that they wanted to eat me. The feeling of being able to dance on the ocean floor like I was on the moon, semi-weightless and was also totally surreal and fun!

 

CLICK HERE for the blog post by BlueSphere on what it was like behind the scenes of this shoot.

Click here for the One Green Planet Shark Petition review 

Connect with Hannah Mermaid through her website and Facebook pages.

Photos: Shawn Heinrichs – Click here to connect with Shawn and see more amazing imagery

Hannah also dances with other underwater creatures including giant manta rays - Click here to see her Manta Ballet

 

 

Hannah mermaid was born in England, spent the first 7 years of her life in LA, then moved to Australia until 5 years ago when she made the move to Hollywood, California. Hannah Mermaid is a frequent visitor to the Hawaiian Islands and loves to dance with our underwater creatures as well.