A mermaid in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia. Truk Lagoon, or Chuuk Lagoon, how many people call it these days, is a great spot for wreck diving. During World War II, Truk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan’s main base in the South Pacific theatre. In 1944 this base was destroyed by the US army. The attack was a revenge for the Pearl Harbour attack. The attack left over 60 wrecks behind, today these create the ultimate dive destination for many wreck divers.
In April 2017, I went to Truk Lagoon for a mermaid shoot. Together with waterworld.at I spend one week onboard the liveaboard. Mermaid shoots were planned for every single day of the trip. As most of the wrecks are between 18 and 50 m deep, we had to plan the mermaid shoots with enough preparation and care. As a scuba and freediving instructor I have lots of experience in diving and working underwater. But working at great depths, inside ship wrecks, without wearing scuba gear or a mask needs extra training and preparations. I have been working as a professional mermaid and underwater stunt woman for several years. Working at Truk Lagoon was definitely a new challenge for me.
When I work as a mermaid at underwater stunts like this, I always work with a professional team. I was really excited before the first mermaid shoot at Truk Lagoon. At Gosei Maru, I posed with my red mermaid tail and swam through the beautiful ship wreck. The plane wreck Betty Bomber was an exciting location for a mermaid shoot and the Fujikawa Maru the perfect playground for a mermaid.
The most challenging mermaid shoot at Truk Lagoon was at Hoki Maru. I posed on a truck inside the wreck at 42 m depths. At great depths like that you have very little time. Therefore, the photographer, underwater model and safety team have to know exactly what to do in order to get the perfect photo. Posing in total darkness inside the wreck was a thrilling experience. For safety reasons, the shoot only took about 10 minutes. Then we had to start ascending in order for the whole team to arrive safely back at the surface.[
My mermaid experience at Truk Lagoon were unforgettable. I enjoyed this very special trip to Micronesia very much. If you like wreck diving I can totally recommend visiting Truk Lagoon. But please note: training, qualifications and experience in scuba and freediving are necessary in order to do mermaid shoots at Truk Lagoon.
A big thank you again at waterworld.at for the amazing mermaid trip to Truk Lagoon.