Underwater Transformation About Face Underwater Transformation About Face

Portland Trip Report!

Travel
June 18, 2019/by
Arrived in Portland!! Started walking around the neighborhood to get to the other side of the river. It was about 80F. Houses are really cute. I love these pointy roofs. Roses are blooming everywhere in the residential area. I stopped by at Pearl Bakery to have a little snack before the SHIBARI workshop! Vegan lemon poppy seeds was moist and delicious! Shibari workshop was held at Sanctuary club. Paintings are sexy. My first attempt! My friend, Audri had to stay with me for 3 hours. Thank you for being such an amazing model! Thank you, Seattle Shibari, Johnathan! Then I got to see the family!! Thank you Jerome for letting me borrow your wife! Their dog, Hanzo. Vegan chicken wrap! So deliciously fried! Cathedral park. Rose Garden was beautiful.   Houses around the garden were good looking. Walked through the Washington park. Then walked to the famous Powell bookstore. It was a perfect place to rest in AC. I wanted to get an ice tea so I stopped by at this Bakery. This vegan raspberry truffle was delicious! I got to meet my friend Lindsay at the bar, Vintage.    The last day... I went for a walk in the morning. I love stopping by at cafes in Portland. They are so cute. It was a nice walk and saw this pup getting sunbathe. Then I packed my stuff and checked out my Airbnb. Walked to this cafe to meet my friend, Yoko! It's been awhile, we had a great time catching up over lunch! I walked...
Read Full Story

Interview with a pro underwater mermaid model and travel nurse

uw portrait
June 16, 2019/by
Interviewed one of my underwater beauty clients Angela who is a professional mermaid model and a travel nurse. She worked as a mermaid at Weeki Wachee Springs before that ❤️ I have so much respect towards nurses because I was hospitalized after my car accident. Thank you so much for what you do 🙏 ❤️ . • What inspired you to be a mermaid? . I grew up in Spring Hill Florida where Weeki Wachee Springs is located. My family took me to see the mermaid shows since I was 2. I grew up always wanting to be a Weeki Wachee Mermaid. After high school I went to Surgical Technologist school and worked with a travel nurse who had a friend that was a mermaid in the 50s. I met her at the Christmas show and applied for a mermaid position. I tried out in January and made it!!! It was the best three and a half years ever!!! . •What inspired you to become a travel nurse? . I always knew I was going to go to nursing school. My love for travel started in 2008 and I couldn’t wait to travel for work. My first assignment was in New York City!! I absolutely loved it and continued travel nursing until I found my forever home in San Francisco ❤️ . •What is the hardest moment you’ve experienced and what is the best moment? . The hardest moments were definitely nursing school!! The best moments have been with my family and during my travels!!!! . •What’s your dream? . Thankfully I’ve gotten to live...
Read Full Story

An interview an underwater maternity client, a trauma ICU nurse

about, uw maternity, uw portrait
June 1, 2019/by
I interviewed one of the underwater maternity clients @follow_da_lita_ who is a trauma ICU nurse. I have so much respect towards doctors and nurses because of the hospitalization after my car accident. I can’t thank them enough for what they do 🙏 ❤️ Q: What inspired you to become a trauma ICU nurse? A: I will start off by saying that I wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse initially. When I had to go through my ICU rotation, I was placed at a level 1 trauma center. I cannot put into words the things I’ve experienced. Watching someone go from having 9 toes in the grave to walking on your unit months later to thank you for all of your help is one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever had. Cliche as it may sound I’ve always loved helping people. That coupled with me being an adrenaline junkie, is why I chose to stay in the field of trauma critical care nursing. Q: What is the hardest moment you experienced and what is the best moment? A: The hardest moment for me (it still makes me tear up to this day) is having to remove a 9 month old baby from life support after being declared brain dead from crush injuries sustained in an accident because mom thought it was a good idea to drive and breastfeed. 😢 The best moment for me was receiving a video of a former patient riding a bike for the first time in over a...
Read Full Story

San Diego Trip Report with Liz Carmouche!

Travel, Underwater Healer About Face, uw portrait
April 14, 2019/by
Leaving San Francisco was such a hectic experience! I was really stressed out but when I woke up to this beautiful morning, I inhaled and exhaled deeply with my eyes closed. I could forget all the negative thoughts and restored fresh mind. It's so dreamy and surreal. I started assembling my new Ikelite gear. This is my first time using their new housing and I find that it's simpler than the older version. I'm liking it! I met Liz! She is already comfortable being underwater because she plays in the UTL (Underwater Torpedo League), so I wasn't worry about anything! She can stay solid underwater. Her body is like a weight! (100% muscle) Communication is important during the photo shoot. THANK YOU Liz and her son for making time to meet me and do underwater transformative photography! They were so amazing underwater. Please read her story and beautiful images from here. BIG THANK YOU to Michael Timm, a free dive/scuba instructor from SD who helped me capture behind the scenes. I treated myself with an amazing lunch after the photo shoot! The sushi chef was Japanese and highly recommended me to go to Sea World... (ah...no thanks...) My Airbnb host was friendly and sweet. She was also backing 400 cup cakes for her grand kid's school event!!! ...yes, 400!! The place has a pool and Jacuzzi!! Gotta come back here in Summer! After I left the house, I decided to do Falconry for the first time. I actually didn't know that this sport is 4000 years old!! They were so beautiful. ...
Read Full Story

Talks@Google

about, Underwater Healer About Face
March 6, 2019/by
Talks@Google It was an incredible experience to be at Google speaking for Talks@Google and share my passion and stories to Googlers! Super nervous face... Youtube video is up online and on Google website! I hope you are curious about the underwater world! Please contact me to find out more and sign up for your portrait session. A portion of the session feel will go towards underwater transformative photography project. Underwater portrait photography has psychological benefits for cancer survivors, domestic violence survivors, people with PTSD, and physical disabilities. Everybody deserves to experience a life-changing underwater transformation and feel...
Read Full Story

San Francisco Underwater Rugby Team

uw portrait
December 13, 2018/by
San Francisco Underwater Rugby Team Underwater Rugby was started in 1961, with a member of the German Underwater Club (DUC) in Cologne, Ludwig von Bersuda, came up with the idea of an underwater ball game. I've never seen this wild 3D sport with salt water filled ball, tossing and grabbing underwater! I met one of the female captains, Jacqui on the day of the photo shoot and she explained to me briefly what it's all about. Two teams each with six players (plus six substitutes), try to score a goal by sending the ball into the opponents’ goal. Players are allowed to touch (pull, push = wrestling!) the person with a ball but as soon as the person leases it, everybody has to let the person go. It happens so fast underwater. It's incredible to see their movements, team works and stamina!! Erena: How did you get involved in this sport? Jacqui: I started back in 2008, in Sydney, Australia. A colleague asked if I wanted to go to a Beginner's Night for some crazy sport he'd heard of after work. I almost said no! But I didn't have other plans that Wednesday so I went along. Twenty people showed up, and I don't think they were quite prepared for it, so it was all a bit chaotic. As soon as we started playing and passing the ball around underwater, I was totally hooked. I've played every since. E: How do you feel physically and emotionally when you are underwater compare to being on land? J: Being underwater can...
Read Full Story

Huntington Beach Trip for PADI, Dive Warriors, Jared and Xoe

Travel, Uncategorized, Underwater Healer About Face
December 13, 2018/by
It seems like I travel back to the same place twice this year. I was in Grand Cayman twice and Huntington Beach next!! I love traveling to see same people to catch up and build a tighter relationship. Back in September, I was in Huntington Beach to meet a veteran, Jared from Dive Warriors and an accident survivor Xoe to do underwater transformative photo shoot. Also I was happy that PADI asked to contribute a dive trip report with veterans for their blog page. As soon as I arrived to Huntington Beach, I wanted to jump in the ocean. The weather was gorgeous and made me feel at home. So beautiful. I drove to L.A. to see my busy friend, Carlos! It's been awhile. He has been making amazing movies and his work always blows me away. So inspiring. You need a break! Stop working!!! I went back to my AirBnB in Huntington Beach and I saw my host, Don cleaning the pool! This is my second time coming back to his place!! He is super supportive for my campaign. He took care of his pool back in April for 3 breast cancer survivors. I really appreciate how generous and humble he is. I've never met any host like him!! He is always smiling too! (and his hair is awesome) His beautiful kitty and a pup :) Guarding the pool. I went to visit my boyfriend's aunt and uncle who live near by. They fed me Impossible burger!! Thank you Laurie and Ben!! The next day,...
Read Full Story

A tattoo magazine, Inked!!

art show, Underwater Healer About Face
October 10, 2018/by
"Meet the woman who has pioneered a transformative therapy practice and empowers people with underwater portraits as they struggle through their physical and mental turmoil." – Inked I'm happy to announce that my work was published on Inked, a tattoo magazine November issue!! It was an emotional reminder to share my story. I also talked a little bit about my inks in the article :) It means a lot if you guys read it. Please go grab your copy...
Read Full Story