Cover Image shot by Style Envie Studios

All other photos by Raina unless specifically

indicated including background images

About ___________________________Page 3

Being a Mermaid____________________Page 6

Mermaid Faq_______________________Page 7

Math Resource _____________________Page 10

2011 in Review_____________________Page 11

Underwater Modelling________________Page 14

Raina is a Canadian mermaid in her mid-

20's located in Halifax. She currently owns two tails. One tail was made

by a mermaid company no longer in business and is an orange stretch

vinyl tail with sim fins. Raina refers to this as her "practice" tail. Raina's

other tail will soon be ready for retirement. It is a realistic latex tail

originally created by the mertailor but re-made by Raven of Mebellas due

to sizing issues.

Raina performs in the water and on land.

She can currently hold her breath for 2 minutes stagnate and is working

on going longer. Raina also entertains with a focus on education about

the environment and encouraging literacy. Raina believes in nurturing

imagination, spreading information, and inspiring children (and adults) to

follow their dreams. Raina does birthday parties, charity work, pool

performing, mermaid encounters, professional modelling, festivals,

children's events, and more.

Raina is inspired by the many other women

who perform as mermaids including the original mermaid Annette

Kellerman. Raina is always inspired by the work of the David Suzuki

Foundation and local Halifax activist groups. Raina aknowledges the

generous finacial support of sponsors who helped her afford her tails new

and old.

Special thanks to Alexandria for the Image

Being a mermaid is something I dreamed of since a child like many of the professional

mers out there today. I'd sit as a young girl on my grandmother's marble flooring pretending it

was the ocean or a river and I was the resident mermaid.

When I became an adult and learned through the internet that there were people out

there actually making this dream come true I was shell shocked. I spent years researching and

putting money aside to get my tail.

After some fund-raising I managed to finally purchase a tail but my journey wasn't ready

to begin. The tail has issues and it would be almost another year before a wonderful mer

(Raven of Merbellas) took the time to fix it for me.

I always reflect on the

help I got along the way

that made my dream

possible. There are so many

people who invested time or

money and information.

There are so many people

who still inspire me and

inform me. I try to be as

informative to other

prospective mers as I can. I

hope in reading my journal

and articles that you'll find

some information if you

want to become a mer, or

some inspiration to chase

after your own dream!

Background image by Mark Anthony Ramsay Photography

Q. How many types of tails are there?

A. Many! Some people make tails out of

different types of fabric, usually swim

fabric. Some make tails from latex or

silicone too.

Q. What's a monofin?

A. A monofin is a special dive fin used

mainly by free divers. Mermaid tails are

generally made with one if they are

swimmable. The monofin is shaped like a

mermaid fluke and both feet go in the one

fin. Swimmers use a dolphin kick to move

quickly through the water. It really works

your core!

Q. What's the most difficult thing about

swimming in a mermaid tail?

A. It's tricky to learn to swim with your

legs together. Never attempt to swim in

your tail alone or with your legs tied

together. Professional mermaids always

have people nearby even if you don't see

them in photos.

Q. How long can you hold your breath?

A. My best time so far was 2 minutes

stagnate outside of the water. My best

under water is 1-1.5 minutes. I am hoping

to improve it. I never practice breath

holds by myself in the pool.

Q. How do I make a mermaid tail?/Can

you make me a mermaid tail?

A. I do not make mermaid tails. You can

find great tutorials on mernetwork.com

Q. Are you a good swimmer?

A. I wasn't for a very long

time! I always swam with

something to float on as a

kid. As a teen I taught myself

to swim but didn't venture

under water much because I

always got ear infections.

When I started with my

mermaid tail it was so

amazing, the tail had so

much power! I swim very

well in my tail now but

believe it or not still not so

great with my human legs!

Q. Where can I buy a

mermaid tail? Who do you

recommend?

A. There are so many tail

makers out there now and

new ones coming!

Mermaidtails.net has a great

list. I recommend reading

reviews. Choose someone

reliable where you'll

get the best bang

for your buck!

Photo by Style Envie Studios

Raina is a big supporter of the arts. This image was taken at Dr. Sketchy Halifax.

Dr. Sketchy is a drawing group that meets monthly. 19+ only cover applies. Check them out

Jelly Fish are one of the main prey of all species of sea turtles. But

these creatures known to live up and over 100 years are dying from ingesting plastic bags.

In the water plastic bags look like jellyfish. You can help! Make sure all your plastic bags

are recycled and replace them with recycled reusable bags! No more plastic in our ocean.

Photo shot by Raina

Photo by Mark Anthony Ramsay Photography

MATH RESOURCE Raina was a mermaid

Or so the story goes

Where she had a long orange tail

People had feet and toes

That wasn’t the only difference

As Raina came to see

Between herself and the humans

Why they were as different as could be!

But Raina liked to learn

and to her it was a pleasure

and lately she’d become obsessed

with learning how to measure

Oh she had rulers and protractors

A big stick and then some tape

but there was just one simple little thing

That Raina couldn’t get as of late

When the people built their houses

and their pools made out of concrete

Why couldn’t they have measured in FINS

Instead of measuring in Feet!

Didn’t they know that mermaids

Had beautiful flukes and a fin

Measuring in feet made no sense

but she knew where to begin!

She started in a place

That all mermaids really love

And measured 3 fins across

For her cozy indoor tub

Next she headed to the pool

and didn’t miss a beat!

It was only 30 fins across

Not 57 feet!

Her last trip was to the ocean

and she gaped around the beach

measuring it all in fins?

A goal she might not reach…

So if you ask her how to measure

she’ll tell you with a grin

“Forget about all that tape-

simply use your fin!”

- Copyright Raina 2011

Watch the video for this poem here

Download and print the math lesson plan here

Raina's resources are free for you to use

2011 IN REVIEW 2011 Started with a bang when Raina

received her tail after a makeover by

Raven of Merbellas. Raina was quick to

put the tail to use at the MSVU

Children's carnival and modelling for Dr.

Sketchy Halifax!

Raina was featured in her local paper's Arts and Life section, as well as online, and on the cover!

Raina enjoyed participating at World Ocean's Day the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

and educating children at the annual RBC Multiculural Festival.

Raina took part in the Mahone Bay Pirate's festival as well as many other related events.

She was also invited to speak at Mount Saint Vincent University three times during the

year to pre-service teachers.

Raina posed for many photoshoots and was excited to have her work on display at the MSVU

Art Gallery Community Show. You can see more highlights of what Raina did in 2011 on this

part of her website and in her images on facebook. Happy swimming!

RAINA'S SHELL TOP was made by the talented Cydney Mermaid

Photo by Mark Anthony Ramsay Photography

There are many talented mers in the community who make tops,

jewellery, and mer accessories. Come and join the community forum

today to meet some of these mer-artisans and place your orders!

UNDERWATER MODELLING comes with the territory for

many professional mer. But looking graceful and natural underwater is not as effortless as

many mers would have you convinced. Because we do not wear goggles most mers struggle

seeing underwater especially in chlorine. A mer is basically blind and depth of field can be

tricky to judge. The tails are excellent for swimming but many tails are also buoyant and it can

be a challenge to stay underwater for more than a few seconds if not moving. Many

professionals mers opt for heavier tails and work on their own muscle mass to help them sink.

A mer does not need to have a long breath hold to model well underwater but it certainly helps

to have experience in scuba diving, free diving, and snorkelling. Having assistants will make a

big difference as well as working with a photographer who has some experience in underwater

photography.

Some mers may be ambitious and want to do their own photos themselves. There are many

excellent and affordable point and shoot digital underwater cameras on the market. The best

photos will always come from high end digital SLRs inside a housing but this is also a very

expensive route.

Jewellery and mer accessories can also do a

lot for your photos. Wearing belts with

netting, necklaces with fake plants and

shells, and hair ornaments will add to the

mermaid mystique.

Keeping your expression in the mood you

want can be tricky as well! It's hard to resist

the urge to close your eyes and scrunch up

your face underwater. Spending time

practicing your expression and seeing how it

translates in the shots will help you once

you're modelling for the photographer.

You can always practice in the bath tub too!

Photo by Raina Mermaid

Frequent Question Asked by Reporters:

"Raina, how do children react when they see you?"

Raina:

"They don't always react the same, but 9 times out of 10 it's

usually funny...."

Raina is the outer expression of my most inner self.

Self Portrait by Raina

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