SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Less than $3 per week View Profile The Explainer Talking Points The Week Recommends Newsletters From the Magazine The Week Junior Food & Drink Personal Finance All Categories Newsletter sign up Culture & Life under the radar Mermaiding: the underwater subculture on the rise Cosplay meets fitness in an escapist fin-omenon that's making waves around the world Newsletter sign up Mermaiding is about 'finding a place where you can let your guard down and actually get in touch with your inner child and play' (Image credit: Jakub Porzycki / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images) Genevieve Bates 26 August 2025 At the edge of suburban swimming pools and tropical beaches, "mermaiding" enthusiasts are donning mono-fin tails and wiggling towards the water. What began as a novelty at fantasy conventions in the 1980s has now spawned active communities around the world, as well as courses and qualifications, focusing on a tail-propelled dolphin kick and breath-holding techniques. For the love of pod Like wild swimming but with added sparkle, mermaiding is a new way to escape life's stresses and channel your free spirit. Taking to the water in multi-coloured mermaid tails and "seashell crowns" offers aficionados a "refuge from the stressors of work and other aspects of everyday life", said The Washington Post. It's about "finding a place where you can let your guard down and actually get in touch with your inner child and play", part-time mermaid Colleen McCartney told the paper. "That's not a space that exists very often." Some "merfolk" describe their "pods" as similar to the close-knit circles of drag-ball culture, and the online mermaiding scene has a lot of overlap with fantasy, LGBT and body positivity communities, said i-D magazine. Every swim is documented with group "shellfies", and professional mermaids stage elaborate underwater photo shoots with rainbow wigs and glittering costumes. Subscribe to The Week Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox. Kaila Yu, a certified free diver and scuba diver, was sceptical before she took lessons at the Four Seasons hotel in Bora Bora. "I'd first encountered professional mermaiding on my Instagram feed. I thought it was performative, pretentious, and girly," she said in Business Insider. Yu was soon won over by the challenge and the joy of feeling like a "real-life mermaid", swimming among schools of shimmering tropical fish, "each flutter" of pelvis and hips "awakening my feminine energy". 'Aquatic joy' Margaux Caillier, a French artistic swimmer who competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, offers mermaiding lessons in the sea near Biarritz. "In the swimming pool, what I hate" is doing length after length, she told Olympics.com. Mermaiding is "like a dream", by contrast. "It's accessible to everyone" because "there is no synochronisation between arms and legs. It's just the body going with the water, that's all." Caillier's lessons are increasingly in demand at bridal showers and, on at least one occasion, a stag party. Mermaiding is not an official Olympic sport – yet – but the Merlympics promise "less pressure, more aquatic joy". Categories at this year's event in Wolfsburg, Germany, included the 50m Speed Challenge, Underwater Rescue Drill, Best Underwater Picture (which is all about form, pose and bubble control) and Performance, a creative choreography category. Flitting through the sea doesn't come cheap, however: custom silicone tails "usually weigh about 10kg to 15kg and cost upward of £1,500", said i-D magazine. Fabric and neoprene are cheaper but make swimming more difficult. And not every swimming pool welcomes mermaid tails. Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Genevieve Bates Delhi's dogs earn Supreme Court reprieve IN THE SPOTLIGHT After an outcry from the public and animal rights activists, India's Supreme Court walks back a controversial plan to round the city's stray dog population into shelters 8 hotels with ace tennis courts The Week Recommends Bring your A game Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda You might also like 8 hotels with ace tennis courts The Week Recommends Bring your A game Spain's love of sunflower seeds is wrecking its football stadiums Under the Radar One club controversially bans 'national vice' as discarded 'pipas' shells block drains and erode concrete The UK's best golf hotels The Week Recommends These are the country's top spots for teeing off – with standout accommodation to boot Robert McCrum shares his favourite books on sport The Week Recommends Writer and editor picks works by Nick Hornby, David Goldblatt and others Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, is a town for all seasons The Week Recommends Fall, winter, spring and summer all usher in new activities Get physical at these 8 hotels that feature 8 different sports The Week Recommends After you check in, it's game time Where to watch the Euros with a pint this summer The Week Recommends Top pubs and bars for cheering on your national team Best sports documentaries The Week Recommends From the 'best-attended women's sports event in history' to insider access to the pro golf world View More ▸ Contact Future's experts Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Advertise With Us The Week is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street