Mermaid Lady

The real-life mermaid who uses her £10,000 tail to swim with sharks and jellyfish - and can hold her breath for FIVE minutes Linden Wolbert, 32, from Los Angeles, travels the world as a full-time professional mermaid Hydro-dynamic tail, which weighs 35lb, took seven months to make and cost £10,000 Freediver and model can swim to depths of 115ft Uses skills to promote ocean conservation and education By Deborah Arthurs Meet the real life mermaid who swims with jellyfish and can hold her breath under water for up to five minutes Linden Wolbert travels the world as a full time professional mermaid and uses her custom-made 6ft tail to propel her through the water. The 32-year-old freediver and model can swim to depths of 115ft and uses her skills to promote ocean conservation and education. Linden, from Los Angeles, California, said: 'I grew up as a water baby. My parents are both competitive swimmers. 'I always looked forward to going to the ocean for our summer vacation. I had a magnetism to the water. 'I've kind of always been a freediver but didn't realise the sport existed until ten years ago. Shortly thereafter, I when began training. 'Free diving is 70 per cent psychological. You have to be very calm and at ease in the water.' Real-life mermaid: Linden Wolbert, 32, uses her own custom-made tail to swim in Jelly Fish Lake in Palau, where the jelly fish have lost their sting, making it safe for her to swim among them Breathtaking: Linden, 32, from Los Angeles, swims with whale sharks using the 6ft-long hydro-dynamic tail she had made by a Hollywood props specialist Fantasy: Linden says she always dreamed of becoming a mermaid after growing up with films like The Little Mermaid and Splash - but it didn't become reality until she got to know Hollywood special effects artist Allan Holt Natural beauty: Linden on a dive at the Rock Islands in Palau Freediving: Linden, who can hold her breath underwater for up to five minutes, says that because she does not create bubbles like divers using breathing apparatus, sea creatures are less timid - and even swim calmly up to her Linden always dreamed of becoming a mermaid after growing up watching films like The Little Mermaid and Splash but it didn't become a reality until she got to know Hollywood special effects artist Allan Holt. They spent seven months working on the 35lb tail, which was made from a fibreglass mould of Linden's body. It involved sealing a monofin inside high-quality silicone to make it hydro-dynamic and effective in the water. The thousands of fish scales were painstakingly sculpted individually by hand out of clay before they were duplicated in fibreglass and then the final mould was injected with silicone. The whole project cost around £10,000 to complete. Linden said: 'I was introduced to Allan through a friend. He wanted my advice for an underwater music video. I happened to mention I'd always wanted a mermaid tail but had no idea where to begin. Peaceful: Since being cut off from the Pacific Ocean, jelly fish numbers have multiplied in Jelly Fish Lake, thanks to the fact they now have no predators Aquatic paradise: Linden in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Palau, which used to be connected to the Pacific Ocean. Since being cut off, it has become home to millions of jellyfish because they have no risk of predators. The 12,000 year-old lake is the only place in the world where you can swim safely among them Liberating: 'I love the feeling of freedom and weightlessness in the water,' Linden says. 'It's such a different sensation. It's very dream-like' Adventurous: 'I've been diving with sharks. With my tail, I'm longer than most of them. Many people think I'm crazy to swim with sharks but I'm always surrounded by an incredible safety team' Stunning: The 32-year-old freediver and model can swim to depths of 115ft and uses her skills to promote ocean conservation and education 'Allan said he'd help me straight away. 'We set a budget at the start but then things happened. It ended up being way over but it was worth it.'My friends and family were all there the first time I used it in the water. I couldn't stop smiling. I couldn't believe it was finally happening.' In some of these amazing images, Linden is seen swimming in Jellyfish Lake on the island of Palau, which used to be connected to the Pacific Ocean. Since it has been cut off, it has become home to millions of jellyfish because they have no risk of predators. The 12,000 year-old lake is the only place in the world where you can swim safely among them - because the sea creatures have lost their sting. Linden visited the lake, which is popular with snorkellers, during a two-week trip to the island. She said: 'I had been on a dive that day and had left my tail drying. I always bring it with me wherever I go. 'A man came over to me and asked if I was the mermaid that went in the tail. I said yes and he told me his wife was a photographer and would love to photograph me. Natural talent: Full-time mermaid Linden Wolbert says she was destined for her role given that both her parents are competitive swimmers. Linden now travels the world as a professional mermaid working as a ocean conservationist 'It sounded like a great idea so we got a boat out to the lake. It was so perfect. It was the coolest thing being surrounded by these golden pulsating creatures.' The images were taken by diver and underwater photographer Wendy Capili-Wilkie, who lives on the island.