Fairy-tale worlds make such a vivid impression on all children, boys and girls, that children’s dreams of princesses, mermaids, heroes, knights can sometimes change people’s lives when they become adults. This is exactly what happened to the girl Hannah Fraser. She was born in Los Angeles (USA). Since early childhood, Hannah has dreamed of becoming a mythical creature - a mermaid.
She creates her first orange tail.
When she grew up, she decided to make her old dream come true and creates a real mermaid tail. She strives to draw people's attention to the problems of ocean pollution and the extermination of marine animals. Hannah takes a lot of photographs with dolphins and baby whales. Immerses to great depths in the seas and oceans.
Hannah can hold her breath for up to two minutes and swim at a depth of 15 meters. Thanks to this, she swims like a real mermaid, without diving equipment.
In 2007, she traveled with renowned photographer Ted Grambo to Tonga to photograph humpback whales. “The baby whale became interested and swam very close to me,” she said. “Seeing this, his relatives began to make very strong sounds. The baby responded and swam away. It was a very unusual experience for me."
The girl tours not only throughout Australia, she is often invited to other countries. Hannah swims underwater with whales, dolphins and sea lion pups. The girl swam not only with harmless animals, but also with great white sharks.
“I thought that if I was going to become a professional mermaid, I had to face my fear of sharks. I put on my tail and went into the water. I should have been surrounded by divers, but with a mermaid tail I swim much faster than anyone else. At one point I realized that I was swimming on my own, but I remained calm. I felt invincible for months afterwards!”
Hannah truly loves sea creatures and she admires the magical, boundless ocean.
“Being in the ocean is where I feel most free and expressive. Most sea animals are curious and interested in people as long as they treat their world with respect. The ocean is the cradle of life on Earth, and if I can be a link to inspire people disconnected from it amazing world, become closer to him, then I feel like I'm doing something worthwhile."
Hannah Fraser at the grand meeting of mermaids
36-year-old Australian Hannah Fraser, living in Los Angeles (LA), works as a model and actress. However, Hannah is also an experienced underwater swimmer and diver who has been fascinated by mermaids since she was three years old. Without scuba gear, she swims with whales, dolphins, stingrays and even sharks, using only her unusual tail.
Fraser, a “professional mermaid,” made her first fin-tail with her own hands from plastic at the age of 9, after watching the Ron Howard comedy “Splash” with Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks (Tom Hanks). Thanks to training, Fraser has increased her time underwater to about 2 minutes, which allows her to dive to a depth of 14-15 m, where she really moves like a real mermaid, without any diving equipment.
Fraser and Dave Rastovich, a professional surfer, were very upset and disappointed by the
members of the International Whaling Commission, which allowed whaling to continue under the guise of " scientific research" She recalls: "It was depressing, and we wanted to go somewhere to connect with whales and raise awareness about them."
Then the couple flew to Tonga with photographer Ted Grambeau, who managed to take beautiful photographs of humpback whales swimming with Fraser off the Vava'u Island group, in the northern part of the Tongo Island archipelago (Vava"u Island, Tonga). Scenes of scuba diving behind
Director Bali Strickland said in the video. Hannah says of the experience: "The baby humpback was curious and actually came towards me... The whales were singing so loudly and the baby whale was making a high-pitched cry that was even louder underwater. It was a very vivid experience."
Many photographers have shown cruel acts of whale slaughter as part of anti-whaling campaigns. The pictures show carcasses pierced by harpoons and scenes of dead marine mammals being winched aboard. Such pictures have a depressing effect on ordinary observers. That is why photographer Grambo, having participated
Having designed the children's book "The Surfer and the Mermaid", I decided to focus on positive emotions that would allow little readers to truly fall in love with whales. He says: "All the shots of Hannah are really poetic; just surreal, beautiful shots, really."
In 2007, Fraser organized a protest near the whaling city of Taiji, Japan, along with 30 celebrities and musicians who were floating on surfboards. This large team tried to stop the merciless killing of thousands of dolphins by local fishermen.
And. Hannah recalls: “Half of the dolphins were caught, and the other half were cordoned off in the middle of the bay to be driven to the fishermen...”. According to her, the frightened dolphins tried to swim up to the surfers, as if they understood that they wanted to help them. However, fishermen began to threaten conservationists and point the boats' propellers directly at them. Fraser finishes: "We couldn't get any closer, and we couldn't save the dolphins." Fraser felt her helplessness and saw with her own eyes how a person treats his smaller brothers. She cried for several hours straight. For some time it was even difficult for her to
know one's belonging to the human race.
Two years later, in 2009, Hannah met 4-meter sharks off Guadalupe island, Mexico. She decided to give up cage diving, limiting herself to her tail fin. On one of her dives, a shark came dangerously close to her, so Fraser suddenly made a scary face and screamed at it. This scared off the toothy predator, and Hannah felt invincible for several months after that.
Director Rob Benavides is currently making a documentary about the life of Hannah Fraser
Australian Hannah Fraser wanted to become a mermaid after watching the movie "Splash" with Daryl Hannah in leading role. Hannah was only 9 years old when she made her first mermaid tail, after which she only dreamed of becoming a “professional mermaid” and traveling a lot around the world.
“My childhood dream has come true! I drew my first mermaids when I was not yet three years old. And at the age of 9 I made my first tail. The heavy plastic tail allowed me to learn to swim like a dolphin,” recalls Hannah.
Now Hannah and her husband, surfer Dave Rastovich, take underwater photographs in order to draw attention to the problems of pollution of nature, oceans and the destruction of dolphins, whales, and other marine life, which are cruelly and en masse killed or caught.
“In 2002, my second improved mermaid tail appeared. The design was in the shape of a boomerang and consisted of two hangers, adhesive tape and a wetsuit,” said Hannah.
In 2007, Hannah and her husband traveled with photographer Ted Grambeau to the Tonga Islands to photograph Hannah with humpback whales. “The baby whale became interested in me and swam very close to me,” Hannah said. The whales began to make very loud sounds. The baby answered their calls. It was a very powerful experience for me."
In 2007, Hannah traveled to the coast of Taiji, Japan, with 30 surfers, celebrities and musicians to try to disrupt local fishermen's traditional dolphin fishing. “The fishermen drove the dolphins into the bay, where they carried out a bloody massacre. They didn’t let us near the nets; the fishermen beat us with sticks. It was an indescribably cruel sight,” recalls Hannah.
What do girls dream of becoming as children? Most often, fairy-tale princesses are famous actresses and singers, but one little girl, after watching the movie Splash with Daryl Hannah in the title role, knew for sure from the age of three that she would become a mermaid. Many children's dreams are shattered with age, but not for this charming girl, who admits that she feels free under water.
A dream come true
Hannah Fraser was born in 1977 in Australia, but now lives in Los Angeles and is involved in animal welfare.
At a young age, fascinated by the fairy tale about the little mermaid who learned to live like a human, the girl made her first tail. A homemade heavy plastic fin pulled my legs together and made it difficult to stay afloat. She was faced with a difficult task - to learn to swim even with such an inconvenient device. Time passed, and the determined Hannah Fraser felt free in exotic clothing that no longer restricted her movements.
The second tail was significantly improved by the girl. It was a whole structure consisting of a wetsuit, ordinary oilcloth and a clothes hanger. The improved version allowed her to swim like a real fish.
Long training sessions
Hannah Fraser (mermaid) developed her skills day after day by spending a lot of time in the pool. “How is she breathing?” - everyone who sees her photos and videos asks. The girl disappoints fans by saying that she has no gills. She simply learned to hold her breath for a long time with the help of special exercises.
Confident that mermaids really existed in our world, Fraser basically does not use diving equipment, but only changes beautiful fins. Now she has her own water show, which is a huge success all over the world.
Overcoming Fear
The professional mermaid is incredibly happy that her childhood dream has come true. Working as a model and actress, Hannah Fraser dives to a depth of about 14 meters, where she swims with dolphins, stingrays and even sharks, which the girl was very afraid of at the beginning of her career.
About her first experience working with sharks, Fraser says she had to face her fear in order to become a professional mermaid. After the girl was in the water with the predators, she said she felt invincible.
The ocean is life
The actress feels great in the depths. She sincerely admires the beauty of the ocean depths and feels expressive in the water. The model is convinced that it is necessary to treat animals that are interested in people with great respect.
The girl often says that the ocean is our life. She is convinced that if we thoughtlessly catch fish and destroy dolphins and whales, then soon our civilization will disappear from the face of the earth. Hannah Fraser is trying to convey these principles and beliefs to people. Photos in the tail under water with various inhabitants of the seabed seem to show the vulnerability of animals from people. The blond beauty believes that the mermaid is a transitional creature between the inhabitants of the ocean and humans.
Nature conservation actions
The girl appears in various films, where she is invited as a real star, and participates in underwater photo shoots, which are actions to protect ocean animals from human tyranny.
Hannah Fraser, who has overcome all her fears, whose photos often appear in various magazines, is concerned about the problems of water pollution and the destruction of whales and dolphins. She is glad that she found herself professionally and did not remain a strange eccentric in the eyes of others.
- Together with famous photographer Grambo Hannah Fraser visited the remote island of Tonga, where a unique photo shoot with humpback whales took place.
- She traveled as part of a large group of divers and celebrities to Japan to stop cruel dolphin fishing. Later, the mermaid admitted that it was a terrible sight: the unfortunate animals were driven into the bay, where they were mocked, and local fishermen beat people who tried to stop the slaughter with sticks.
- In 2010, the documentary film “The Cove” with Hannah’s participation received an Oscar.
- The specifics of Hannah's work are such that a girl must always look good and not gain excess weight. The beauty works out a lot, doing yoga, aerobics and dancing.
- The mermaid gives part of her earnings to charity.
Australian Hannah Fraser decided to become a mermaid after watching the movie “Splash” with Daryl Hannah in the title role. Then 36-year-old Hannah was only 9 years old, but she was already able to make her first mermaid tail, after which she only dreamed of to become a “professional mermaid” and travel a lot around the world.
“My childhood dream has come true! I drew my first mermaids when I was not yet three years old. And at the age of 9 I made my first tail. The heavy plastic tail allowed me to learn to swim like a dolphin,” recalls Hannah.
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser off the coast of the Tonga Islands, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
“In 2002, my second improved mermaid tail appeared. The design was in the shape of a boomerang and consisted of two hangers, adhesive tape and a wetsuit,” said Hannah.
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser off the coast of the Tonga Islands, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
Now Hannah and her husband, surfer Dave Rastovich, take underwater photographs in order to draw attention to the problems of pollution of nature, oceans and the destruction of dolphins, whales, and other marine life, which are cruelly and en masse killed or caught.
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser off the coast of the Tonga Islands, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
In 2007, Hannah and her husband traveled with photographer Ted Grambeau to the Tonga Islands to photograph Hannah with humpback whales. “The baby whale became interested in me and swam very close to me,” Hannah said. The whales began to make very loud sounds. The baby answered their calls. It was a very powerful experience for me."
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser off the coast of the Tonga Islands, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
Many photographers, participating in anti-fishing campaigns, show cruel and bloody footage of whale hunting. Photographer Ted Grambo decided to do the opposite. He decided to show all the beauty of the world of whales. The photographs turned out to be so unusual and beautiful that they were used in the book for children “The Surfer and the Mermaid.”
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser off the coast of the Tonga Islands, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
In 2007, Hannah traveled to the coast of Taiji, Japan, with 30 surfers, celebrities and musicians to try to disrupt local fishermen's traditional dolphin fishing. “The fishermen drove the dolphins into the bay, where they carried out a bloody massacre. They didn’t let us near the nets; the fishermen beat us with sticks. It was an indescribably cruel sight,” Hannah recalls.
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser off the coast of the Tonga Islands, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
Hannah swims underwater with whales, dolphins, stingrays, sea lions and their babies, and sea turtles. She even got to swim with great white sharks off Guadalupe Island in Mexico. “I put on my tail and went into the water. I should have been surrounded by divers, but with a mermaid tail I swim much faster than anyone else. At one point I realized that I was swimming on my own, but I remained calm. I felt invincible for months afterwards!”
In the photo: Mermaid Hannah Fraser on the coast of Tonga, Pacific Ocean, 2007. Barcroft Media/Ted Grambeau
“In the ocean I feel an amazing sense of self-expression and freedom. The ocean is the cradle of life on Earth. Marine life very curious and respectful of the person entering their world. I feel special because I can be a mediator between the marine world and people,” said Hannah.
Characteristics of Hannah Fraser: Profession – mermaid in water, model on land. Age – 36 years. Height – 168 cm. Holds his breath under water for two minutes. Dives to a depth of 15 meters. Husband: Dave Rastovich, professional surfer. Lives in Los Angeles.
