Three young island girls — Adelaide Jones, Sky D’Abbraccio and Maya Dunkin — display their swimming skills with their mermaid tails at Gibney Beach as dance instructor and costume designer Cyrstal D’Abbraccio launches her new company Mermaid Swim VI on St. John.
Anyone who might have spotted a bright pink tail flapping around in the wake on Gibney Beach recently wasn’t dreaming.
Those mermaids, and even a few mermen, are the creation of Cyrstal D’Abbraccio and her new company Mermaid Swim VI. A long-time dance instructor and costume designer, D’Abbraccio is also an avid swimmer, a massage therapist and a mosaic artist who is bringing all of her passions together in her newest venture.
D’Abbraccio, originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, moved to St. John two and a half years ago with her husband and two children. The couple run a web-based tiny tile mosaic business out of their home and have started offering classes as well.
The mermaid business idea was born when a friend emailed a video of a similar venture in the Philippines, D’Abbraccio explained.
“My best friend of Massachusetts emailed me this link of a woman in the Philippines who is teaching classes to be a mermaid,” said D’Abbraccio. “She said, ‘Crystal you have to see this.’ I watched and said, ‘This is so me.’”
“I’ve been a dance teacher my whole life and I was a costume designer too,” she said. “I used to costumer hundreds of children at a dance studio in Lexington and it’s always been a passion to dress up and pretend. My creative juices started flowing and I thought this would be an amazing thing to bring to the island.”
As an environmentalist, the chance to start a business with no impact on natural resources yet is partly based on the beauty of the local waters, also appealed to D’Abbraccio, she added.
“This has no damaging impact on the environment and the water here in the Virgin Islands is magical,” said D’Abbraccio. “Since mermaids are magical too, this is the perfect place for this business.”
The entrepreneur found a company that shipped to the VI and invested in a few mermaid tails. The suits are comprised of a mermaid “skin” or “tail” which D’Abbraccio described as being similar to panty hose except the legs are together in one tube. Once the mermaid “skin” is on, there is a monofin which goes over the feet and then the “skin” is pulled over to complete the look.
With the mermaid costumes on hand, D’Abbraccio began by outfitting her family and friends and heading out to the beach for mermaid swims. D’Abbraccio instructs users how to flap their monofin and swim like a mermaid. Since launching the businesses with friends and family in October, D’Abbraccio has had nothing but positive feedback, she explained.
“It’s been such a roller coaster of excitement,” said D’Abbraccio. “It’s been so well received. I haven’t heard any negativity about it at all and now people are calling me the mermaid lady.”
What she found was pure delight with the enterprise, D’Abbraccio added.
“I’ve always loved work which allows you to work with someone and when they leave you they’re a totally different person,” she said. “Like a massage when someone enters they are down and when they leave they’re happy and joyful. That is the same thing that I’m finding with Mermaid Swim VI.”
D’Abbraccio has found that she is not the only one who has long dreamt of being a mermaid.
“This is a way to give people that dream of being a mermaid and there are so many people on this planet that have dreamt of being mermaids or who love the whole fantasy of mermaids,” she said. “And with the beautiful water here in the Virgin Islands, it’s just perfect.”
The Mermaid Swim VI owner has also found that transforming people into mermaids seems to allow them to shed their shyness, D’Abbraccio added.
“There are timid people and when you put them into the mermaid suit, they are like new people,” she said. “They get so happy. It’s fulfilling this dream for people who didn’t even know it was possible.”
“This whole experience has already been such an amazing adventure,” said D’Abbraccio. “Being able to provide that joy and that dream for people has been amazing.”
D’Abbraccio offers mermaid swim sessions for individuals or groups with pricing ranging from $125 to $300. For more information about Mermaid Swim VI, check out the website www. mermaidswimvi.com or call D’Abbraccio at (340) 228-4977.