MIAMI — The feeding frenzy begins before the mermaids swim into view.
Cocktails flow like the outgoing tide around the darkened Wreck Bar, designed to look like a Spanish galleon resting on the ocean floor. Fish circle in brightly lit aquariums on the perimeter. Platters of ceviche, calamari and tiradito are served. Also, more drinks!
A DJ leads a rowdy crowd in a game of Name That Tune that turns into a singalong of “Summer Nights” from “Grease,” women belting out their best Olivia Newton-John, men doing that “well-a well-a well-a well” chorus that has been stuck in everyone’s head for 40 years, even if they weren’t born when that movie came out.
By the time the mermaids hit the pool for the only underwater burlesque show in the U.S. and slowly strip down to their pasties and G strings, the bar is vibrating with so much life, energy and good will the performers can hear it through the glass.
As South Florida entertainment grows ever more slick and generic, overflowing with New York imports and clubstaurants with Instagram walls for the influencers and bottle service for the crypto princes, the mermaid shows at the B Ocean Resort in Fort Lauderdale are a glorious throwback, a divine spark from the golden age of Florida tourism. In the 1950s and 1960s, Fort Lauderdale was where the boys were. The Mai-Kai Restaurant and Polynesian Show showcased tiki culture and the iconic ship-shaped Yankee Clipper Hotel, the original name of the B Ocean Resort, drew such luminaries as Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio.
Though the classic Lauderdale dive bar Elbo Room still stands — it opened in 1938 and remains a monument to the joys of cheap beer — this rich history has mostly slipped away. But the Wreck Bar is determined to keep it alive.
“The places with the immersive experiences like this are falling away,” laments Marina Anderson, lead mermaid, who choreographs the performances and can lip sync to “Vogue” underwater like she has hidden gills. “You’re not seeing them anymore, which is tragic. My whole statement of purpose is to preserve these elements.”
The mermaid shows, which also include a Saturday matinee treasure hunt for kids and a “Mermaids & Mimosas” brunch on Sundays, are the creation of Anderson, who goes by the mermaid name of MeduSirena. Which, let’s face it, is a pretty great mermaid name.
Bringing mermaids back
Mermaids have a long and vibrant history in Florida lore, starting with the shows at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, which began in 1947 and continue to this day. But when Anderson first came to the Wreck Bar in 2005, it was hanging on by a fin. Hotel guests used to watch mermaids perform synchronized swimming from the pool deck outdoors, but those shows ended in 1965.
After her first look at the space, Anderson decided it was time to bring them back, only this time guests would watch through the Wreck Bar windows.
The place “was still absolutely gorgeous,” says the Puerto Rico-born Anderson, who had been working as a performer at the Mai-Kai at the time. “However, there wasn’t a soul in the bar. I asked the manager if he’d be interested in having a mermaid swimming here. He was like, ‘Errrrrr . . . ’ He didn’t really know the history of the place.”
Anderson ended up doing a demonstration, but management seemed reluctant to commit. Not one to back away from a challenge, she accepted when they told her she could practice every Thursday, donning her fish tail and swimming around the pool, flirting with the people at the bar through the glass and using MySpace to urge the curious to come see her.
Within a couple of months, the bar filled up, and the underwater performances began.
Now, the burlesque shows draw tourists as well as locals celebrating big occasions — bachelorette parties, anniversaries, birthdays — and while they’re naughty, they’re not explicit. Though if pasties and thongs give you the vapors, maybe stick to the more relaxed Mermaids & Mimosas brunch on Sunday and enjoy the retro “Mad Men” vibe.
None of the performers use hoses, and they can all smile and blow kisses underwater, which is harder than it seems. The burlesque women perform on Friday and Saturday nights, the Aquamen “Boylesque” show every other Thursday. Sometimes, they swim together. The performances are funny and engaging, involving props like roses and a rubber chicken (we’re going to let you guess what happens to it).
‘See something you’ve never seen before’
Anderson, who also comes into the bar to warm up the crowd before hitting the pool and leads the other performers into the bar after the show for photos, says it’s important to never do the same show twice. She also always keeps things humorous.
“Burlesque is parody, it’s satire,” she says. “Underwater burlesque is an abstract concept unless you see it. But there’s been a magnificent burlesque renaissance that’s been taking place all over the country. If you like burlesque, if you want to see something you’ve never seen before, this is it. ... I want to experiment. I want to try new things. What if we throw a gorilla in there? Everything’s better with a gorilla! It’s just fun. We want people to have an escapist environment where they can let it all hang out.”
Rizwan Ansari, general manager of the B Ocean Resort, says the resort is committed to continuing this sort of throwback entertainment. As the beloved Mai-Kai undergoes a renovation in partnership with the Barlington Group and Mad Room Hospitality, which owns Miami’s Ball & Chain, the Wreck Bar has just reintroduced a Polynesian show every Wednesday, celebrating tiki culture with drums, dancers and tiki cocktails.
“We’re trying to add more shows when it comes to the mermaids, too,” Ansari says. “There’s absolutely no doubt there’s an appetite for it. We just want to keep this sense of history.”
If you go
Mermaid shows at Wreck Bar
Where: B Ocean Resort, 1140 Seabreeze Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Florida
When: Polynesian show and dinner 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays; Aquamen burlesque 8:30 p.m. every other Thursday; mermaid burlesque 8:30 p.m. Fridays; 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturdays; Coral Reef family-friendly show noon Saturdays; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Mimosas & Mermaids Sunday brunch
Cost: Starting at $45 for Coral Reef kids show; $55 for Mimosas & Mermaid brunch with bottomless mimosas; $65 for adult shows with $35 going toward food credit
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