You can't swim with us
'On Wednesdays, we wear fins.' This holiday season, the team at SubmergeUnderwater set out to bring a fun underwater cosplay to life featuring the characters from “Mean Girls.” Not only did the they set up underwater photoshoots, they collaborated with singer/songwriter and cosplayer, Traci Hines, to create a full underwater music video to her cover song of “Jingle Bell Rock,” available on Hine’s youtube channel, @tracijhines.
All of the photos were shot by underwater photographer, Justin Lutsky, in the beautiful waters of the Florida Springs. Says Lutsky, “Translating the iconic Plastics' sass into underwater magic was such a treat! Working with such talented ladies, I knew they'd have no trouble braving such chilly waters in the dead of winter to get every shot.”
The temperatures in Florida had already dropped to around 40 degrees when the project was underway. Luckily, the water in the springs stays around 72 degrees year-round, so the water was warmer than the air. Still, the models had to use waterproof heating pads and hot showers in between sessions to stay warm and avoid hypothermia.
The models for this project were Felicia Flaherty (@feliciawithfins,) Luna Marie (@mslunamarie,) and Abbey Blake (@everyday.mermaid,) all certified free-divers and professional underwater performers.
“It’s very rewarding to push through the cold and sometimes uncomfortable conditions because in the end, you know you’re creating something super special, or should I say, ‘so fetch,’ that no one else has done before. This is one of my favorite projects to date,” says Blake.
Fans and enthusiasts are invited to watch the full “Jingle Bell Rock” music video, and share their thoughts on the project via social media by following and tagging @SubmergeUnderwater on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.