{"id":422589,"date":"2026-08-03T13:26:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T13:26:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/422589\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T13:26:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T13:26:12","slug":"meet-the-merfolk-frolicking-in-northern-californias-pools-and-swimming-holes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/422589\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the \u2018Merfolk\u2019 Frolicking in Northern California\u2019s Pools and Swimming Holes"},"content":{"rendered":"

These aquatically inclined performers and hobbyists express themselves through their \u2018mersonas.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Meilin Duncan (center) sits with friends by a pool in Oakland on June 8, 2026, during a gathering with the local merfolk community.\u00a0(Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

This story is part of Finding Your People<\/a>, a series celebrating the Bay Area\u2019s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.<\/p>\n

In a swimming hole called the Garden of Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Tara Dimaggio swims around in her iridescent silicone tail. She finds peace in the quiet, bringing her fairytale dream to life. And she makes sure to pick up trash on the way out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 43-year-old San Jose resident, known as the Mermaid of Eden<\/a>, describes herself as introverted and reserved. But when she puts on her tail and embodies her mermaid persona, or mersona, she gains a little more confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps open me up a little bit,\u201d Dimaggio tells KQED. \u201cAnd it\u2019s helped with my anxiety, especially coming out of COVID.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, swims in a pool while Tara Dimaggio, known as the Mermaid of Eden, prepares to get in the water.<\/p>\n

\"\"Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area swim in a pool in Oakland. <\/p>\n

Dimaggio got her start mermaiding right before the pandemic hit. She immersed herself in the Northern California mermaid scene, which includes professionals who perform and advocate for ocean protection, as well as hobbyists who create accessories and art. Dimaggio felt like she finally found a space where she belonged.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe craft has been around a very long time,\u201d Dimaggio says, \u201cbut everybody is very open to making new friends or meeting new people in the industry. It\u2019s not very cliquey or closed off.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Oakland resident Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus<\/a>, first put on a tail in 2018, representation for mermen was \u201crare.\u201d His initial struggle to find costumes and accessories prompted him to tap into his own creativity; he now makes and sells accessories like crowns and shoulder pieces.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Tara Dimaggio (left), known as the Mermaid of Eden, and Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus, swim in Oakland during a gathering with friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve picked up this whole world of creation and sculpting,\u201d Lee says. \u201cLearning to make things offline, for me, it\u2019s given me this real-world experience of creation and design that I really kind of craved.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he still considers mermen a relative minority, he emphasises that the community \u201cstrives to welcome all ages, genders, body types, sexual orientations and gender identities.\u201d<\/p>\n

In mid-May, both Dimaggio and Lee were two of many Bay Area merpeople who made their way to the annual California Mermaid Convention. Merfolk from all over the country gathered in Sacramento for open swims, a Bubble Ball and other events. It\u2019s a staple convention, though the event wasn\u2019t always as big as it is now.<\/p>\n

\"\"Merfolk chat in the water during the annual California Mermaid Convention at the Cordova Community Pool in Rancho Cordova on May 16, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mermaid Atlantis<\/a> helped start the event, which used to be called Sacramento Mermaid Weekend. After getting her costuming degree in 2011, she set out to create a mermaid tail she could swim in. She quickly discovered mermaiding, and from the beginning worked to make the space inclusive, advocating for more representation across big mermaiding events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I can, I just try to invite more people out and make sure that people feel heard and respected,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mermaid Atlantis hosts her own kids show<\/a> where she uses her mersona to educate her audience on environmental issues. She\u2019s accompanied by her trash puppet named PI (short for Plastic Island) who helps her teach how to reduce, reuse and recycle in English, Spanish and ASL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Merfolk friends from across the Bay Area pose for a photo at a pool in Oakland on June 8, 2026, to swim, socialize and wear their mermaid attire.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mermaid Atlantis (left) and Johanna King, known as Mermaid Chimera, sit by a pool in Oakland a gathering with fellow merfolk friends.<\/p>\n

While the California Mermaid Convention is the big event that brings the community together, many merfolk in the Northern California \u201cpod<\/a>\u201d host more casual meet-ups at pools, friends\u2019 houses or the beach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And as the pod continues to grow, newcomers are welcomed in with open arms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to do it for money, you don\u2019t have to be a professional, you don\u2019t have to have the fanciest tale,\u201d Mermaid Atlantis says.\u00a0\u201cThe only requirement is that you\u2019re friendly, you come out, you have fun and that you\u2019re kind.\u201d<\/p>\n