Tick It Before You Kick It

Mermaid Mishap in the Bermuda Triangle

• Alexandra Lauren | The Bucket List Mermaid • Season 1 • Episode 8

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🪼What would you do if you found yourself face-to-face with a Portuguese Man o' War jellyfish in the mysterious waters of the Bermuda Triangle? 

🧜🏻‍♀️Join Alexandra, your favorite traveling mermaid, as she shares her exhilarating and sometimes perilous underwater adventures with her best friend Erica, who courageously faces her fear of the ocean. 

👯From the beauty and dangers of shipwreck exploration to side-splitting tales of instant karma, this episode is packed with laughter, friendship, and the magic of the sea.

🌊Amidst the waves and jellyfish, we'll navigate the challenges of using professional mermaid tails, managing claustrophobia, and capturing the perfect underwater shot with a GoPro. 

🎙️Tune in for a humorous and inspiring tale that promises to bring a smile to your face and spark your own adventurous spirit!

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Alexandra:

Nobody's safe, not even mermaids. Hey there, adventurers, and welcome to Tick It Before You Kick it - a podcast about helping you conquer your adventure bucket list. I'm Alexandra, your favorite traveling mermaid and adventure blogger, and in this episode, we are going to be talking about a travel story that I have recently acquired from Bermuda. Now, for those of you who didn't know, I run a travel blog as a mermaid and I talk about adventure and bucket lists and blah, blah, blah. And naturally, I thought it would be a great idea to go on a cruise to Bermuda, because I've been cruising all my life but I have never been to that area and I just figure, wow, like a mermaid's paradise. And it's been on my bucket list to go into a shipwreck in the Bermuda Triangle with my mermaid tail. Just a standard bucket list idea, right? So I ended up dragging my best friend, Erica, with me. She is probably going to be on this show several times because I end up taking her on the craziest adventures. It just works out that way. I don't know why, but something about us two together. Wild things happen when we travel together, and so I'm actually going to switch over, because after this travel story happened, we went back to our room on the cruise and we actually took out my phone as a voice memo and we did this podcast on my phone in the cruise ship room because we just had to talk about this crazy thing that happened when I was mermaiding in the Bermuda Triangle in a shipwreck. So I apologize if the audio is not as good. As I said, we were in our cruise ship room and we just had to talk about it. So, please enjoy this story. I hope it brings a smile to your face, because how often do you get to hear about a mermaid and what happened to me while I was mermaiding the Bermuda Triangle? So, without further ado, enjoy. Okay, so we're here to tell you the story of what just happened. This happened about two hours ago. Um, I am here with my best friend and dearest, closest friend, Erica, who just sacrificed life and limb to help me get some - I turned out okay.

Alexandra:

She said, " I turned out okay.

Erica:

That's a bit of a spoiler. Spoiler alert. Okay, first thing you have to know hey, this is Erica. I am deeply afraid of the ocean, deeply.

Erica:

No pun intended,

Alexandra:

and she's best friends with a mermaid, so this this works out really well for her.

Erica:

I took swim lessons as a kid um, I can swim, I can tread water, whatever all that. I don't like swimming when there are things in the water. I don't want anything touching me. The sea lions last time was a horrible - that was - That was like new fear because you couldn't see them. I hate not seeing what's under me yeah, so.

Alexandra:

So for context, I was like oh, E ri ca, jump into an island of 3,000 of sea lions in P eru, it'll be fine. I also made her first swim with a shark.

Erica:

That was 10 years ago now, which I was still a little bit young and like, " yeah, I'll do it" and it was very supervised. It was a very supervised, like, t The guide was right there. T there's people taking photos in the water. It was all very organized. Yes, for sure, you know, very pristine. Um then, the sea lions in Peru about three years ago now was my deepest, darkest fear, because I couldn't see under me.

Alexandra:

Y yeah, that that was really scary. It was really murky and there were so many sea lions around us. It was so cold. Yeah, when we booked this excursion, we thought that it was going to be like one or two. Oh yeah, I thought it was like in a little enclosure. And then we were on the boat and he goes there's the island, and I was like the island of what? And it sounded like boo. It was like they were booing us. They were like please don't come near. S scary.

Erica:

And he just literally pushed us off the boat on an island of sea lions. We had wetsuits on and it was the coldest thing I've ever felt I don't know how long we were in there. Anyway, I was very conscious of the fact that sharks eat sea lions the whole entire time, and it smelled like fish and other things. It was like dead sea lions. I it smelled like death.

Alexandra:

It smelled death. It was just. It was just something. It was an experience, so that was the last time we went traveling together. Why is she still friends with me at this point? I don't know.

Erica:

It's been 15 years.

Erica:

This is our 15 year friendiversary and we're here on a beautiful cruise. I got a little bit seasick yesterday. We took some Dramamine I'm fine now. It was fine. We took some dramamine I'm fine now. It was fine. We took dramamine before today, which?

Alexandra:

I'm glad that we did. Yeah, the boat was a rocket, it was rocky. The the bermuda triangle holds up to its reputation it is a little rocky and there's just a lot of reefs everywhere, like I can definitely see how it got its name, because if I was going to the new world and I didn't have the navigational techniques you know and you just like run a reef and you're like well, okay,

Erica:

it was really cool, but when polarized sunglasses like looking out as we were heading out to the triangle, it was actually amazing like aqua, blue, fairy rivers, like they were glowing it looked magical.

Alexandra:

It was really cool with just your sunglasses. My $20 sunglasses did not hold a candle, however her nice, her nice sunglasses did. It was great, it was really fun.

Erica:

So we get there. I've snorkeled before 10 years ago we were in the Bahamas or something and it was very tame.

Alexandra:

I don't know it was good there was a shark.

Erica:

Easy, it was a nice shark.

Alexandra:

It was easy a zillion people there and there were so many guides and there was no waves calm. Today we're in the Bermuda Triangle and I'm very aware of that fact she doesn't like the ocean and I, as you may not have known, am a mermaid travel blogger, so naturally I get in a full mermaid tail.

Erica:

What if I broke up with you right now as friends Um?

Alexandra:

I would not like that. I would not enjoy that.

Erica:

What if I said I've had enough?

Alexandra:

However, me and my jellyfish sting . Spoiler alert um, oh no, would understand.

Erica:

So as we're heading out on the boat we're sitting like on the top and it's rocking and stuff, but we're fine. And then I see this like I don't know how to describe this in a - It looks like a plastic bag kind of floating on the water, l Like a little sandwich bag.

Alexandra:

I have like anxiety about asking if I can use my mermaid tail. And I'm sitting there, I'm like with my giant mermaid tail, I'm like, oh, are they going to let me use it? And then this lady's like what is that? And everybody, oh, are they gonna let me use it? And then this lady's like what is that? And everybody rushes to the side of the boat. It's a man of war jellyfish, basically a pretty nasty, long, stinging jellyfish.

Alexandra:

He actually said that their tentacles get up to 150 feet, right?

Erica:

He did and he said, " oh, by the shore they're only 10 feet. Oh, okay, but yeah, yeah, but we're not in the shore. We're in the bermuda triangle, where a bunch of shipwrecks just floating by as we pull up to these buoys and we attach to these buoys, I immediately was like, oh crap, like right on the side of the boat.

Alexandra:

Erica's going to lose her crap r Right on the side of the boat. I'm like she's already nervous for this.

Erica:

I was just like this is gonna go great not the moment this is gonna be sea lions 2.0, so uh, took me a little while to jump in there.

Alexandra:

Yeah, I had alex go in first well, me in my mermaid tail, everybody's watching me. I'm in my mermaid tail, they approved, it was great. I jump in. Yes, yes, they approved, it was all approved. I was like I'm certified, I'm safe, I'm a diver, it's fine. So I jump in, jump in first and I'm just like waiting for her, and then eventually she goes in and I just come up to her and she's just like heaving. She's just like so hard.

Erica:

Listen, listen. I'm kind of claustrophobic, so my goggles were all fogged. I couldn't see anything, but I knew I had to have them on so I could breathe. So, yeah, and then, oh, and then my fins were loose and I just felt like all discombobulated.

Alexandra:

And she has my GoPro and I'm like take my main videos of me. I didn't want it. I was like she's like no Hold onto it.

Erica:

Hold onto it at first, please. I have to adjust, it's gonna take me a little while, and so the and the waves started coming it,

Alexandra:

yeah it's called the Bermuda Triangle for a reason.

Alexandra:

There was some.

Alexandra:

There was some waves like -

Erica:

I couldn't not have my mask on, yes, which is what was unfortunate,

Alexandra:

- and I was like well, just like look into the water, because once you look into the water it clears up a little bit.

Erica:

And then I did, and said oh no, oh no, I don't like that, because right by the ship they were feeding the fish, so the fish were just were they feeding? Them. Yes, they were throwing out food into the water oh, I didn't know that.

Erica:

That's what the particles are in the videos. Oh, anyway, they were feeding the fish. They were swarming around me and like swimming up to my face when I looked in the water and I could never even reach my hand in a fish tank when I was a kid to like clean it.

Alexandra:

This is true friendship right here.

Erica:

I couldn't do it, so I was really panicky.

Alexandra:

So she was panicking, and again I am in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle with a full on mermaid tail. And if you can't visualize this. This is not like a children's mermaid tail, this is like a professional.

Erica:

I don't know how you did it.

Alexandra:

Mermaid tail and it's big and I all of a sudden bobbing and just she's just bobbing

Erica:

and just breathing really heavy trying to regulate, cause I know, I know that when I'm anxious or whatever, panicking like, I have to just regulate and I have to get through it. I don't have to get out, I just have to get through it and adjust, cause it was also very cold, it was it was pretty cold, it was cold, um, and the waves were coming. I just I needed to just sit in there a little while right and swim a little bit away from the boat, but then I looked in the water and saw a jellyfish and I was like okay, yeah, so again more jellyfish are coming up, and

Alexandra:

H e did say that there were some brown jellyfish I'm not exactly sure, yeah, um cute, it was not.

Alexandra:

It was not the man of war.

Erica:

I jumped in the water kind of swam to you, and then we heard shouting by the boat.

Alexandra:

I feel like ever since that one was like oh, there's a man of war. Because every time someone says man of war they're like oh my god, death and destruction and so everybody was so paranoid. I just see people all around me are just like jellyfish. So that's like freaking her out and there's like 30 of us at one point. Yeah, there was a lot.

Erica:

There was a lot of people out there, yeah, and they were all kind of panicky. They were really panicky.

Alexandra:

They were like screaming at one point and I was like this is not good for everybody. So eventually I was like cause I'm also a yoga instructor, so I was like breathe through your nose, exhale through your mouth, like it's gonna be okay.

Erica:

and she was just, of course, like like I know what to do, I just have to do it

Alexandra:

and eventually I was just like Erica. What are you afraid of?

Erica:

And she caught this on video and I'm so glad and I felt really bad in the moment because I literally said I don't know. I don't think you can hear my response, but I was kind of snippy. And we were like what are you afraid of? And I said I don't want to talk about it.

Alexandra:

I d on't want to talk about it. And I was like, what are you afraid of? And we caught it on video, me saying Erica, what are ar you afraid of?

Erica:

That what not to say to someone having a panic attack. Yes, that is, btw, not not the right way to go for it, especially when you are actively in rolling waters in the open,

Alexandra:

with jellyfish all around you in the open sea in the bermuda triangle. Looking back, that was not the best way to go, but

Erica:

I didn't care though, because I I was conscious and aware enough of like. I've had panic attacks before. I'm not that anxious guys, but this was really scary.

Alexandra:

Looki ng was scary, I'm sorry it was so.

Erica:

I knew I would be fine. I knew I had to just wait it out and just kind of bob around and tighten my little flippers and clean out my goggles. And once I did that, erica, what are you afraid of? I could see in the water and I looked down and it was a shipwreck and I was like, oh, that's so cool, cool, it was really cool, it really was really cool to see surreal and-

Alexandra:

there was also like three shipwrecks within our entire scuba site like it was weird really cool.

Alexandra:

They're all really close. Yeah, they were all really close and I'm like oh, I get why this is called the Bermuda Triangle like there's just kind of in a triangle shape. Um yeah, well, not even that. It was just like. It was just a lot of shipwrecks, like they were just everywhere. So that was really cool and it was really cool to like see it. I don't think she liked the fish, but I think you really liked the shipwreck I got.

Erica:

The shipwrecks were amazing, I think, because they were kind of shallow too they were.

Alexandra:

They were very tall, like I'd say, probably like something 40 or 50 feet, but I think the the shipwreck that was most towards the surface, like you could touch it with, just like holding your breath a little bit and just going down. It was amazing.

Erica:

It was really, really cool moral of the story just keep going -

Alexandra:

- but like instantly, like you were, just like I'm fine now.

Erica:

I knew that I had to get the video for you because I love you so much and I was like I have a job. She was like I need to get this video, this mermaid video yes, I was like I can absolutely do this and stick my head under the water and get the gopro.

Alexandra:

um and spoiler alert.

Alexandra:

This video is amazing.

Alexandra:

There's several there's like they're amazing like they and I decided to wear my black tail which just popped. It was like siren vibes, like it was beautiful. So good, it was beautiful, yeah. So anyway, moral of the story I said the wrong thing and I said you know, erica, what are you so afraid of?

Alexandra:

Um? And then I ended up swimming out a little bit and I got stung by the man of war, oh boy, and I didn't know. She kept it from me immediately. I knew it immediately because it was just like little tiny fishing lines, like I just oh, I knew it immediately as soon as I did it and it was like my entire arm was on fire, like it was just like little tiny pins and needles and just like all up my arm and just almost around my body. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I've heard horror stories from this specific jellyfish and I thought that it would be a lot worse than it was. However, it was pretty terrible and she's like can you get some videos of me? And I was like crying.

Alexandra:

I was like. I was like I didn't see it.

Erica:

I will. Well, I also didn't want to tell you I'm so glad you didn't, because I was like I'm not gonna tell her.

Alexandra:

I'm not gonna tell her until we're on the boat and we're safe and it's fine. And we literally got in there. And then he was, and someone else had been stung by one of the little brown jellyfish and he was like, oh, I'll get you some apple cider vinegar. And I was like, how about for this? And he was like, oh God, like it was like bubbling up on my entire head. I'm looking at it now entire hand.

Erica:

It's better now.

Alexandra:

Yeah, yeah, yeah it's way better now. Honestly, it's, it's. It's really good now red it, but you can see the streak.

Erica:

It definitely still stings not on your arm a little bit, I think?

Alexandra:

oh yeah, yeah, it was not as bad as it was before but it was just like instant karma. I was like what are you afraid of? And I get stung by a man o' war, so it serves me right, that's what you're afraid of

Erica:

it was a great day, A + day.

Erica:

We got on the ship and they were handing out rum and we're having a good time.

Alexandra:

Yeah, listen to music actually got one of those. What is it? Rum swizzle. I've heard rum sizzler.

Erica:

I've heard rum swizzle I've heard four different things. I've heard rum swizzler. I've heard I think it's swizzle swizzle, I don't know.

Alexandra:

Anyway, that sounds right. It was really good. They were like actively pouring vinegar on my hand while I was drinking rum, Like it was just something else. It really was. And I'm like holding my mermaid tail l Like this is something else, this is.

Erica:

Oh gosh, A plus day though.

Alexandra:

A plus day.

Erica:

A plus day, honestly, I'm selfishly glad I did not get stung, because I don't think I would have gone in the ocean again.

Alexandra:

I remember when I did it and I turned around to you and was like I swear to God if she gets stung. I was in so much pain, but I didn't think about me. Thank. God it happened to me.

Erica:

And thank.

Alexandra:

God it did not happen to you.

Erica:

I'm really glad too. Yes, I made it, made a plus day.

Erica:

Really it was great. Shipwrecks were insane if you get the chance to go.

Alexandra:

Absolutely they were amazing one sunk in the 1860s and the other one was 1940s.

Erica:

I used to think I'd want to be on a pirate ship when I was younger and now I'm like maybe not, maybe not, maybe not. There's a lot of jellyfish, it's just the jellyfish.

Alexandra:

Erica, what are you afraid of, the jellyfish? Oh my gosh, I'm so glad that you didn't get stung. I'm really, really, really glad that you didn't get stung Me too, man. That's what I mean. That's our story. Thanks for listening, and I'm literally looking at my man o' w War scars right now. So there you go, I'll help her heal. Great, perfect Best friend. There you go. So that wraps it up for this episode of Ticket.

Alexandra:

Before you Kick it and my jellyfish man of War story in Bermuda, just an update the rash did end up going away after you know, we recorded this. It did hurt pretty badly for about a day or so and then I just had this like itchy rash on my hand again. It kind of looked like I had gotten whipped on my hand and as of right now, it's still there. So, man of war, they don't mess around, good to know. Nobody's safe, not even mermaids. But in all reality, I have been in the ocean so many times and this is the only time where I've ever had something happen to me like this. So please don't let this deter you from any of your adventures. I just thought it was a hilarious story of my instant karma, really.

Alexandra:

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this travel story. If you did like this travel story, please do not forget to subscribe, like, send to all your travel buddies and check out more of my content on thebucketlistmermaidcom. Until next time, keep adventuring and stay away from those jellyfish. They might look cool, but they hurt. Also, if you do want to see any of this footage, any of my Bermuda photos, please stay tuned. On my social media, at the Bucket List Mermaid, I will be slowly, slowly and surely trickling all of this content out and eventually I'm going to create an epic Bermuda bucket list as I do. So, stay tuned and, as always, keep adventuring and keep bucket listing you.