Meet the real-life mermaid who holds her breath for four and a half minutes while swimming to the oceans depths to swim among incredible sea creatures and wreckages. Julia Wheeler, 31, from Perth, Western Australia, has been a hands reach away from pilot whales, Bull sharks, manta rays and more during her time diving without any breathing equipment. As a child, she was fascinated by the Little Mermaid, dreaming she could be just like Ariel and from the age of five practiced holding her breath in the bath. She took a freediving course nearly ten-years-ago to become an underwater photographer but after entering Australian Freediving Nationals in Indonesia competition last year she qualified for the Wold Championships. Since then she has been photographed exploring the oceans depths from the Solomon Islands to Tahiti, swimming among sea creatures as well as fighter jets and ships claimed by the sea. She says is more comfortable in the water than on land and her incredible photographs, have led her to be dubbed a real-life mermaid. Here environmental activist Julia is on a WW2 bomber plane and in a ship surrounding by seacreatures. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)





Here real life mermaid Julia is diving with manta rays in Bali and looks incredible swimming among them while holding her breath for four and a half minute. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)





Here environmental activist Julia is on a WW2 bomber plane and in a ship surrounding by seacreatures. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)





Here environmental activist Julia is on a WW2 bomber plane and in a ship surrounding by seacreatures. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)





Here environmental activist Julia is on a WW2 bomber plane and in a ship surrounding by seacreatures. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)





Real life mermaid Julia in the middle of a fish ball – she holds her breath for four and a half minutes while diving down and swimming around. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)





Here real life mermaid Julia is diving with manta rays in Bali and looks incredible swimming among them while holding her breath for four and a half minute. (Photo by Julia Wheeler/Caters News Agency)