when mermaids meet at the devil’s punch bowl

I rarely meet up with other mermaids, mostly because I live so far from the mermaiding hot spots in Washington. However, in July 2021, I had the chance to meet up with the Seattle Merpod at their annual Lake Crescent trip. It was a treat to meet everyone in person and see their beautiful tails.

the clearest water in Washington

In 2021 I decided I wanted to frolic in beautifully clear waters, so I headed up the Olympic Peninsula to Lake Crescent. While I’d visited the lake before, I don’t remember ever swimming there, likely because the algae-free water has an average temperature of 44 F. In the summer it’s a bit warmer, heading into

night snorkel with manta rays

This is one of my few videos which does not include a mermaid tail, but I had to include it. My 2019 night snorkel with manta rays is one of my most cherished memories of that (mostly awful) year. These are some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, and I feel so lucky

meeting an octopus in Hawaii

I’ve been going to Two Step since I could first swim, but this was my first time swimming there in a mermaid tail. It must have been good luck because I also encountered my first octopus!

the other side of the waves

August 2017 Getting in, my body says no, can’t, too cold. My mind overrides it. I’ve spent a considerable amount of the last 18 hours keeping anxiety at bay, and between a healthy dinner, okay sleep, good car conversation, and listening to Auli’i Cravalho sing How Far I’ll Go a couple dozen times, I’m mentally

may on maxwelton beach

My partner self-isolated on Whidbey Island for more than a month while I was sick this spring. In early May, I finally got to come up and take my first swim in months.

2020 polar bear plunges

Remember January? I barely do, but apparently I did two polar bear plunges in the first week of this year. Both times, I wore a mermaid tail. Now, these were both run-in events, not jump in events, so I twice ran into the water (once 44.6 F and once… probably a balmy 48 f? that’s

mermaiding trial and error

Learning to swim in a mermaid tail can be difficult. Learning to shoot videos of swimming in a mermaid tail is even more challenging, especially when you’re in the kind of cold waters that no one else wants to enter. Here are a few of my first attempts.

8/9/2020

Yesterday I spent some time mermaiding in the shallows, for the entertainment of some neighbors on shore/in their boats. I followed that up with a mile swim (sans tail).

summertime adventure swim

Is there anything better than going to a quiet lake and splashing around with friends? This is a little video I made of a swim last summer in one of my favorite nearby lakes. While the water was a bit murky, it was a beautiful day, and my friend and I pulled a hunk of