“A mermaid!” Several kids shout together, pointing toward the top of the freshwater tank in Discovery World’s Reiman Aquarium. There, a vibrant blue and purple tail dips into the water, and that mermaid dives down gracefully, waving at the audience as they swim with the fishes.
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That mermaid, Echo (who prefers to go by their mermaid name), says a physical therapist recommended swimming after an ankle surgery. While shopping for a monofin flipper to help rebuild strength, Echo was amused to see a decorative fish scale cover available. The site also had a link to MerNetwork, a forum for people who dress as mermaids. Echo started “mermaiding” in 2012 and opened a business in 2016.
Their favorite part of performing underwater is the feeling of “unlimited freedom, like flying. … My head quiets down. Those voices that tell me I can’t do it or shouldn’t try – they’re gone,” Echo says.
Their mermaid life also connects to another passion – water conservation. Echo’s monthly gig at Discovery World teaches kids not to pollute our waterways and other lake lessons. “When I started, I joked that I wasn’t smart enough to be a scientist, so I became a mermaid,” Echo says, but that’s changed. Echo is set to graduate from UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences in December and their day job is working for a nonprofit called Cities Initiative, which protects shorelines. “I guess I can’t make that joke anymore.”
