Brodie was not my best friend, but he was the only one who had the time, and money, to join me on a trip to MM Bay, an all-inclusive hotel on one of the Caribbean islands. We had agreed to share a room, with two separate beds, maybe have breakfast together, but in a way, go our own ways, knowing we've quite different interests. When you spell out the rules ahead of time, things seem to work out best, and that's exactly what happened.
He was very much after the girls, out every night at the loud dancing/discotheque. A few nights he didn't even bother coming back to the room. We never really had breakfast together, as he was never up before noon, whereas I got up to watch the sun rise.
I was here for nature, the beautiful beach, the raw undeveloped woods, and my favorite, the bay that the hotel was named after. It was probably a square mile big, screened off from the ocean by a fence made from steel wires, covered with plastic to keep it from rusting. Any large animal stayed out that way, or kept them in, like the group of dolphins that live inside. But smaller fish and crustaceans would move in and out easily. The coral in the bay was heavily protected, to keep it beautiful.
I spent many hours snorkeling, making underwater pictures of the beautiful nature that was captured inside this gem. Waiting for the day it was my turn for the real reason I was here.
I was sure MM Bay stood for Mermaid Bay, but only few people like me would agree with that. But, the one attraction that people that are like me come for, is the twenty-four hour mermaid experience. And I have one of these sessions in each of the two weeks we're here.
I was going to tell Brodie that I wouldn't be coming “home” for the night, but he himself didn't show up the night before, so I figured it didn't matter. I was very nervous though, when I reported at 9 am sharp at the secluded corner of the bay. It had been a half hour hike to get here, which kept most tourists away.
There were ten of us, and I was the only guy, but I had expected nothing less. Not many grown up guys dream of swimming like a mermaid. It had been my dream ever since I was a little boy, and I saw the movie Splash.
There were some rules about what we could or could not do, mainly to protect the environment. It was allowed to swim with snorkel gear, but no diving equipment. There were areas underwater where you could pull a mask over your face, and take some good breaths, which would give the illusion of “living” underwater. There were also some grottos that we could visit, with breathing points in the tunnels leading to them. We were expected to spend the night in them, and experience sleeping as a mermaid.
They made a point that as mermaids we'd be much more animal than human, but for health reasons they wanted us to eat at dedicated underwater areas, and there were also areas where we could relieve ourselves. It was preferred over just letting go while swimming.
They advised us to swim in groups of two, and follow typical diving rules. Everyone had a safety watch, with a GPS tracker and when in trouble we could push a radio button on it, and they would be there within ten minutes. Likewise we had a small air tank that we could sip from, with just enough air to last the same ten minutes. The main rule was not to use the tank to stay down longer, it was to be used for emergencies only. We all had to sign a waiver that we understood the rules and the risk that could lead to our death.
Then we were on our way to get our tails fitted. The fact that they had a separate area for males and females told me that I was not the first guy here. There was a man named Sam helping me, and I wasn't sure how I felt about getting naked in front of him. But he was pretty good at setting me down, telling me he'd seen it all.
The tail was not at all what I had expected. I figured latex to cover over my legs, like I'd seen in so many pictures I had ogled over in the past years. But this tail was made from “fleshy” material, almost an inch thick, and in some places more. And inside the tail was a gel-like material that showed openings to push my legs inside. The tail was extremely heavy and didn't even move, as I pushed my legs in. How would I ever swim with that?
But again, Sam told me not to worry. Underwater it wouldn't be so heavy, but it was very comfortable and realistic this way. But yes, if I would try to pull myself up on a beach or in one of the grottos, I may not be strong enough by myself to get back in the water. Just like a dolphin, he said.
It got tricky when my legs got in deep enough that the plumbing of the tail was to be hooked up to my own, so I'd be able to relieve myself. And the way it worked, he made it clear, there was no chance for any sexual intercourse, neither for me, nor for the ladies, no matter how sexy they may look.
And suddenly the last part of the tail seemed to suck itself around my hips and compress my waist a bit, and Sam said it had created a vacuum inside the tail, and it wouldn't come off without the right tools. Looking at the tail it seemed sleek on me now, with no hint of my legs inside. I could wiggle my toes, and I saw the fluke at the end move a bit, but I couldn't even lift the tail off the ground.
The last thing Sam did was pull a sleeve over my left arm, and he explained it was a flexible air tank. He showed me the tube coming out near my shoulder, with a mouthpiece at the end. In theory I could reach it with my mouth, or I could pull it toward my mouth with my other hand. Once the mouthpiece was inside my mouth, I could use my teeth to squeeze the tube softly, and oxygen would flow into my mouth. He showed me the button to push on the watch that was attached to the lower end of the sleeve, for when I was in danger and needed immediate help.
It all seemed clear, and when Sam stepped away, he pushed a button, and the platform I was apparently on started moving, turning into a ramp, and I unceremoniously slid down into the water. Sam pointed out the snorkeling gear I could use, but I decided to explore the area without it. I had to learn to swim with this damn tail first.
Ok, so the tail was indeed more manageable in the water. The weight of the tail kept my body under a bit of an angle, making it easier to look forward, without having to stretch my neck. I floated nicely, which kept my head out of the water, without much effort. A flick with my feet moved me slowly forward, but it felt more like a corrective action than actually a swimming motion. Not until I started moving my legs from below the knees, did I go a bit faster. Combining it with a movement from the hips seemed to do the job.
Combining seemed to be the magic word. By bringing my feet into the mix at the right time allowed me to steer. And when I almost hit the sidewall, in my panic I moved my upper body more vertical, causing my tail to go down, and hitting the break. Nothing better than when your reflexes trigger the right result.
Nevertheless, I had the feeling the hip movement with the heavy tail would tire me out fairly quickly, so I concentrated on energy saving. Well, that concentration was gone in seconds when I saw her.
She was the first of the ladies I guess, but where I had just a tail, my upper body was bare, apart from the safety sleeve on my arm. She however had a bra-top, covering her generous breasts with scales in the same color as her tail. Which was the same color as my tail, by the way. Scales were also covering her arms, and I could see that her fingers were webbed. And even her neck was covered in a scale pattern, which combined real nice with her normal skin.
Her face was normal, if you can call beautiful normal, but her hair was a sleek silver again. I didn't recognize her, but that made sense, as during the briefing all the women had been sitting behind me. My choice, by the way, as looking at nine mermaids-to-be would have distracted me from any instructions. But I had seen enough to know that none of the ladies had silver hair. So, clearly she had gotten more than just a tail.
As I started swimming towards her, simply to ask about it, I saw her go under, and from the look on her face that was not intentional. In another reflex I slapped my tail and I jolted forward, for the first time diving underwater myself. The salt water burned my eyes, but I saw her instantly and grabbed her hand. With another reflex slap I dragged her up, and in less than a second we were with our faces above water again.
“Wow!”, she said, “I didn't expect to go under right away. Thanks for helping me out. This tail is much heavier than expected.”
“I know”, I replied, “I had maybe ten minutes of practice before you came out, and it was all about learning to swim again. But, without doing anything, my body floats with my head above water.”
I let her go, and she confirmed that she too remained floating. She smiled beautifully, and I felt a first tug in my lower belly. “Wow again”, she said, “this is awesome! Thanks for helping me out. I'm Sheila by the way.”
“I'm Jeff. Nice to meet you, Sheila. And I'm glad I could help.”
We swam a bit together, and I showed her what I had learned thus far. She picked up real fast, and added a few things herself that I hadn't thought of yet. During another break she said, “They paired me with you, you know, as I was the only one by myself. That's why I have a silver tail, like you. Plus why I came out first. They knew you'd be out before the rest of us.”
I had already noticed a few other pairs, indeed with matching tail colors, all learning to swim again. And all very beautiful. Were they that beautiful before? I replied, “I'm okay with that, if you are.”
“So far, so good”, she said, “just don't get anything weird in your mind, I'm not into guys.”
I laughed, “That makes two of us. I'm not into guys either.”
She chuckled now. “That's funny actually. I think I like you. Friends?” And I shook her hand on it. “Friends!”
We were the first to leave the safe area, and for some reason we swam while holding hands. It kept our speeds the same, and we both felt safer. The water still bothered my eyes a bit, and I wondered if I should have gotten the snorkeling gear, or at least the eye protection. But Sheila swam seemingly without issues, so I figured it would get easier for me at some point as well.
What didn't get easier was the number of times I had to resurface, compared to her. She was clearly more efficient holding her breath, and waved at me if I went up to the surface. Twice. Only the third time did she come up with me. When I asked her about it, she said, “It must be the newer generation suits. They said they were lighter, despite the fact they are full-body covering. And they have built-in air supplies that feed air straight into my nose. When I surface, just breathing will fill them up again.”
Well, that explained a few things. The intricate mix of skin and scales over most of her upper body. The silver hair. No problem with the salt water in her eyes. And why she easily spent three times as long as me underwater. I felt cheated.
She concurred. And she had a solution. Sort of. There had been one more suit. Unused. Another silver one. Which would have been mine probably, had I been female. Maybe I could still claim it?
“You'd be a real mermaid”, she explained. “With breasts. And long hair. Not quite my twin, but looking very much like me.”
“What do you mean, with breasts? I don't have them like you.”
She laughed now. “Believe me, mine are not this big. What you see is part of the air reservoirs. Just feel it.” I hesitated, but she grabbed my hand and put it on her chest. Through the scaled fabric it did indeed not feel like real breasts. Until I squeezed a bit harder, and touched the real thing underneath. She gasped, and I quickly let go. “That was not unpleasant”, she said in a breathy voice. “You'd have air-only there, allowing you even longer underwater than the rest of us. And I wouldn't mind some hanky-panky with you, if you look like a girl.”
I hate to confess that the hanky-panky comment in the end convinced me. But I liked Sheila. And I liked how I had my hand on her breast. So what if I was a girl for the day, no one else would know. And I really hated the pain in my eyes. So I nodded. “How do we do this?” At which she replied, “Just follow me.”
It was quite a distance back again, how easily had we drifted away in the past hour. But Sheila went fast now, almost dragging me along. She seemed more excited about this than me. Of course there was a catch, no pun intended.
Yes, the suit was available, according to Sue, the lady who'd done the briefing. And it shouldn't be too hard to adapt the plumbing to support my manhood, for peeing. But the suit was for three-day wear, and I had paid only for one day, unlike the rest. Sheila looked at me if that was true. I nodded, there had not even been an option for three days for me. Sue nodded at my statement.
“But”, I said, “I have another day reserved next week. Maybe I can use it now?” Sue nodded again, but I would still have to pay for the third day. And I knew I couldn't afford it, I had used all my savings already on the second day in Mermaid Bay. Both Sheila and I looked disappointed, but then she said, “I'll pay for the third day.”
I started protesting, but she silenced me quickly. “I'm doing this for me too. I don't really want to be a third wheel with one of the other pairs. But, if it makes you feel better, I have a few conditions.”
“Anything!” I replied, excited about spending three days with her, as a mermaid.
“Very well”, she said, “first off, I get to name you. A female name. And you will accept it as your own. And second, once we're back to being ‘human’, I want three more days and nights of you. As a girl. As my roommate. And not locked up inside. We'll be partying! And lastly, if I can manage it, we'll do another three day mermaid session next week. My treat.”
Obviously I didn't mind having a girl name, if I looked like a real mermaid. And doing another session would be like a dream come true. But… “I wouldn't know how to be a girl. A human girl, I mean. I'm afraid everybody would know I'm really a guy, with my looks.”
“I'll take care of that”, she cut me off, “as long as you follow my lead, and be open to what I have in mind. Can you do that?” That simple? I just nodded.
Things went fast after that. They somehow blew air into my current tail, and it took two ladies to pull it from me. I was a bit embarrassed, being naked in front of all of them, but soon my legs were pushed into a whole suit, with a tail at the end. It took them half an hour to get the plumbing right, in the tight space they had to work with. But finally the rest of the suit was pulled over my upper body.
It took a pair of nipple clamps to line the artificial breast up just in the right place. It was more than just air, as I felt a gel surround my nipples. A few minutes later I had my own webbed fingers, and then the last part of the suit closed over the top of my head. I suddenly felt the weight of long hair on my head. Long silver hair. And a clear cover over my eyes. They massaged the suit over my ears, until they popped inside the ear pockets. And a membrane closed my mouth off underwater, but redirected air to all “containers” when I would breathe above the surface, while tube's in my nostrils would feed air back into my nose, while underwater.
Not until they showed me a mirror, did I realize I looked indeed like a woman. A mermaid. A beautiful mermaid. Sheila, who had followed everything from the water, licked her lips, and she named me Jessica, or Jess, not far off from Jeff.
A special surprise was a two-way radio that was activated between us. I could hear her in my ears, even if she dropped below the surface. The range was maybe twenty feet, but it felt much better that we could communicate underwater.
The tail was indeed much lighter than before, and I enjoyed being back in the water. Immediately I realized how simple the extra air worked, the first time I submerged. And I knew right away that Sheila had not needed my help, that first time she disappeared. She just smiled, saying I was just too sweet to ignore.
It was worth everything that I spent on this, and the promises I had made. This new suit was simply fabulous, and I didn't mind having breasts, as it gave me a few extra minutes underwater. Not a lot, as the extra air was not compressed, but enough to have an extra minute now over Sheila. Even when empty, my breasts had some mass still, thanks to the gel that had solidified by now, and Sheila liked to get her hands on them. We were definitely more intimate, now that we both felt an attraction.