Israel touts its own little mermaid

August 12, 2009 - 1:00 PM by · 2 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Environment, General, Life, Travel 

ariel6I’ve found lots of things in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel over the years: a school of tomatoes floating ashore that had been dumped off a ship, assorted discarded rubbish, an abundance of jelly fish, and I even found a pair of my own sunglasses I had lost an hour before stuck in the sand (definitely a case of finding a needle in a liquid haystack).

But I’ve never spotted a mermaid – that mythical sea creature who I always envision to be a cross between Ariel in Little Mermaid and Daryl Hannah in Splash. And it’s a shame, because evidently I could be $1 million richer.

Whether it’s summer boredom or indeed there’s something out there, there have apparently been a number of mermaid sightings off the coast of Kiryat Haim, near Haifa. The town council is taking the rumors so seriously – or is taking the possibilities of becoming a major tourist attraction so seriously – that they’re offering the million to anyone who can provide proof as to the mermaid’s existence.

The mermaid, who is visible only at sunset, has already drawn lots of locals with cameras hoping to capture the friendly fishwoman in actions.

“Many people are telling us they are sure they’ve seen a mermaid and they are all independent of each other,” council spokesman Natti Zilberman told Sky News. “People say it is half girl, half fish, jumping like a dolphin. It does all kinds of tricks, then disappears,” Zilberman said.

The council denied its offer of a reward was a publicity stunt, but said it hoped to nurture the mermaid as something which could bring in more tourists.

Asked if the council can afford the payout, Zilberman said, “I believe, if there really is a mermaid, then so many people and tourists will come to Kiryat Yam, a lot more money will be made than $1 million.”

Whether there really is a mermaid out there, or it’s all just a fish story, it’s just another good excuse to head out to the sea on these hot August nights. Me, I’m hoping to spot Tom Hanks.

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