Yeah, I was thinking if I went with the apprentice sea witch or something, Ariel could perform that trick and be in the process of learning more. She could be on land for information - finding sailors would be easier that way rather than swimming around seeking. 

[s]Or the Twelve Huntsman story - the princess who hires 11 girls similar to her and kind of stalks her beloved. Kind of an elite team thing, though I'd have to do something to remove them because screw NPCing 11 others.[/s] Maybe not.