Meet the ‘Merfolk’ Frolicking in Northern California’s Pools and Swimming Holes

This story is part of Finding Your People, a series celebrating the Bay Area’s meetups and subcultures that bring people together IRL in an increasingly online world.

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. 

The 43-year-old San Jose resident, known as the Mermaid of Eden, 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.

“It helps open me up a little bit,” Dimaggio tells KQED. “And it’s helped with my anxiety, especially coming out of COVID.”

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.

“The craft has been around a very long time,” Dimaggio says, “but everybody is very open to making new friends or meeting new people in the industry. It’s not very cliquey or closed off.”

When Oakland resident Alan Lee, known as Merman Icarus, first put on a tail in 2018, representation for mermen was “rare.” 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. 

“I’ve picked up this whole world of creation and sculpting,” Lee says. “Learning to make things offline, for me, it’s given me this real-world experience of creation and design that I really kind of craved.”

While he still considers mermen a relative minority, he emphasises that the community “strives to welcome all ages, genders, body types, sexual orientations and gender identities.”

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’s a staple convention, though the event wasn’t always as big as it is now.

Mermaid Atlantis 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. 

“Whenever I can, I just try to invite more people out and make sure that people feel heard and respected,” she says. 

Mermaid Atlantis hosts her own kids show where she uses her mersona to educate her audience on environmental issues. She’s 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. 

While the California Mermaid Convention is the big event that brings the community together, many merfolk in the Northern California “pod” host more casual meet-ups at pools, friends’ houses or the beach. 

And as the pod continues to grow, newcomers are welcomed in with open arms.

“You don’t have to do it for money, you don’t have to be a professional, you don’t have to have the fanciest tale,” Mermaid Atlantis says. “The only requirement is that you’re friendly, you come out, you have fun and that you’re kind.”