Aloha! I am Mermaid Ayesha and I ordered a custom painted fabric tail from Mermaids of Hawaii for my little brother, Merman Patrick.
Rebecca was amazing. She responded to my order almost immediately. My little brother picked out the fabric that he liked best and we gave her full creative freedom over the rest. She kept me up-to-date with the process and sent me a picture of the completed tail:
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I lived on island at the time, so shipping was unnecessary. When the tail was finished, Rebecca was very patient with me when it came to arranging a time to meet up. The tail came in a clear, large bag with reinforced handles and care instructions. The pictures she sent me simply did not do the tail justice! When I saw it I truly couldn’t contain my excitement. It was at least a week before my little brother saw it in person, but when he did his face absolutely lit up!
The first use of the tail was at a merparty. I invited all the mers of O’ahu to come out and meet my little brother. We took the tail out of the bag and admired it for a few minutes before I helped my little brother put it on. It is very light, easy to carry, and easy to put on. I had my little brother lay on the sand and we rolled the fabric down to the ankles so that he could put his feet into the foot pockets. I tightened the straps until he said they felt tight, but Rebecca later reminded us that the straps really need to be tight as movement in the water could make them slip. Now my little brother knows how tight they need to be before swimming. We then rolled the fabric up until he was fully clothed in his new tail. We posed for a few pictures before getting into the water for his first swim.
Merman Patrick absolutely LOVED swimming in the tail. He had been practicing the merman swim, but Rebecca was such a sweetheart and really helped him understand the movement. He said swimming was easy and he is absolutely hooked!
A few days later we were in Maui and Merman Patrick agreed that if I let him use my underwater camera that I could borrow his scales for the day! We went out on a raft to two different snorkeling locations and I put the tail on while sitting over the side of the raft. It was incredibly easy to do! I was surprised that I was able to adjust the foot pockets to fit my feet (my little brother is much taller and has bigger feet than me). I rolled the tail up quite easily. It was a bit too long for me as it was made for my taller brother, but I simply tucked it into my swim bottoms and it was quite fine. Swimming in the tail was much different than swimming in my own, but it was much lighter and very easy to maneuver in. The tail looks absolutely brilliant out of the water, but in the water it is stunning!
Taking off the tail is as easy as putting it on, and it can be done in or out of the water. For my brother, he took it off on land, rolling down the fabric and then removing his feet from the pockets while laying down on the sand. I removed it in water by rolling down the fabric and then removing my feet from the pockets before getting back onto the raft.
After use, the tail was rinsed in freshwater and hung to dry. There is a zipper on the side of the fluke that makes it easy to remove the monofin. It only took a few hours to dry in the bathroom with no fan, closed windows, and at a room temperature of about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. This was perfect because we were able to pack it up for our trip to the mainland without worrying over it being wet or damp for a full day of traveling. After a handful of times of using it already, the tail is still in great condition!
If we need to add any photos to this review, just let me know. Merman Patrick plans on practicing in his tail frequently until our next appearance at Camp Kemo on June 9th!
I would also like to note that I have had the opportunity to wear one of Rebecca’s tails and shell tops for a mini photoshoot on the beach and a mermaid party. I fell in love with her tails after the first time I swam with her. Having the opportunity to wear one was a dream! She showed me how to put it on, and really made sure that I felt amazing. She took great care of me and she and Davey made sure that the pictures looked FINtastic!
After the mermaid party, she shared both the client’s review of me and some of the photos that she received.
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I highly recommend Mermaids of Hawaii. If you are ever swimming by O’ahu I would recommend booking a photoshoot. You won’t be disappointed in the experience or the final photos. If you are thinking about buying a tail, a fabric tail is a great tail to start with and I have and will continue to recommend Mermaids of Hawaii. The tails are fairly priced, and you not only get an amazing product, but you get incredibly kind and quick customer service as well.
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