The ReaL Life Mermaid
A medical condition, caused doctors to amputate both of Nadya Vessey's legs when she was young. Now at the age of 50, she has realized her dream of becoming a real-life mermaid, thanks to Weta Workshop, an Oscar-winning special effects company, that brought us movies like Lord of the Rings, King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia.
A resident of Auckland, New Zealand, Vessey took up swimming after her first leg was amputated at the age of 7. Through high school, she swam competitively, even after her second leg was amputated at 16.
She never saw herself as a mermaid however, until a 4-year old asked why she was taking her (prosthetic) legs off. Not wanting to go through the process of explaining her amputation, she told him she was a mermaid.
That idea stuck with her and two years ago she approached Weta Workshop to ask if they could make her a prosthetic tail. To her surprise, they agreed.
The company had some experience with mermaid tails before, thanks to Peter Pan. However, those tails were directly applied on to the actors' bodies and only had to last until the film had been made.
Vessey's tail, however, had to be fully functional, pretty and last for a long time. Using 3-D modeling, the company hand-crafted a custom-made tail using a combination of neoprene and Lycra. The outer layer has been hand-painted with mermaid scales, giving it a very authentic look.
Nadia loves her new tail, which has been tested in her local swimming pool, as well as, the ocean. She is hoping to use it for the swimming portion of her next triathlon.
So the next time you see a tailed figure frolicking in the ocean, don't panic - It's just Nadya Vessey, the real-life mermaid.
To read more about how Weta built the tail and see some of their other fun projects, check out their website at www.wetanz.com/a-mermaid-s-tale/.
Sources: Dailymail.co.uk, wetaanz.com
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484 Comments
- bookqueenpaigeWednesday, February 24, 2021 at 11:47 amThis is surprisingly intresting
- dinobasketball7Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 8:35 amwow!
- kittylover111Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 6:05 amReally nice story! Follow your dream, girl!
- followmeplzTuesday, February 23, 2021 at 10:09 amwait what that's why I'm scared of the ocean
- wolfielandTuesday, February 23, 2021 at 9:47 ama little sad at the beggining but this is pretty cool!
- tianavasMonday, April 27, 2020 at 11:43 pmI wanted to be a mermaid for once but my mum and dad said that mermaid was only a fairytale.it is always fun to be a mermaid!
- char2009Tuesday, December 10, 2019 at 10:34 ami wish if their is real mermaids i could meet one and be one but also be able to be a person at the same time
- bunny9Tuesday, August 20, 2019 at 1:31 pmcooooooooooooooooool i love mermaids
- #BUNNIESRULETuesday, August 20, 2019 at 12:56 pmwow!!!!!!!!I wish I was a mermaid!!!!!!!! I just got a sleeping mermaid tail and I love it so much!!! Mermaids > Unicorns
- jjTuesday, April 23, 2019 at 9:45 amlove it