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‘We can’t breathe! We can’t see! We can’t hear!’ – meet the real-life MerPeople
It is the most uncomfortable activity imaginable – yet mermaiding is booming. Say ‘shello!’ to the magical merfolk whose lives have been transformed by the addition of a shimmering tail
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Wynns and her colleagues had to dive up to 15 metres (50ft) underwater in the springs, breathing through a thin air hose and hoping the pressure wouldn’t blow the blood vessels in their heads. Nose and ear infections were rife. But, as with everyone else, Wynns loved performing so much that she put up with the difficulties. “It’s in our blood. I know we sound neurotic, but there’s no place like it.” The Weeki Wachee performers often wore diving fins rather than tails, so were more like a cross between divers and dancers. “We were like the Rockettes,” Wynns says.
That is changing. Chè Monique’s website bills her as a “fat, Black mermaid with natural hair”. As the founder of the Society of Fat Mermaids, she considers the word fat a neutral descriptor, not an insult or a source of shame. “When I first started looking for tails, it was definitely hard to find anything bigger than an XL. I was a 3XL when I started and I’m a 4XL now,” she says, speaking while pulling herself away from the action at the California Mermaid Convention. “I’ve definitely seen ads posted for jobs where you need to have a certain waist size.”
Alba agrees, insisting the mermaid community is pushing back against its reputation as a home only for performers who closely resemble The Little Mermaid’s original, animated Ariel: “Now, we’re saying anyone can be a mermaid, at any ability level, of any body shape, any size, any background.” In fact, Monique remembers being on a panel at a convention with Alba “and saying to her: ‘Yeah, I need to see some more fat fish in your tank. Or just any,’” referring to the Circus Siren Pod. Monique’s society makes and sells T-shirts featuring Black plus-size mermaids, and promotes the work of similar-looking performers online. As with all other parts of society, mermaids are reckoning with lingering biases and norms.
The series takes you back to a mermaid show that began in 1947, at Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida. Barbara Wynns, now in her 70s, started working there after secondary school, after watching the balletic mermaid show at 13. “We were all teenagers, in the woods and 15 miles from anywhere,” she says. There were strict rules for the performers.
Especially exciting for Tampa Bay viewers: The series features Weeki Wachee Springs’ 75th anniversary celebration. There are also appearances from retired local mermaids.
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park and its live Mermaid Shows linger over MerPeople’s four episodes, which also involve interviews with multiple former mermaids, who are disappointed when the park’s 75th-anniversary reunion event abruptly cancels. Eric Ducharme, a former Weeki Wachee performer and founder of the foundational mermaid tail company MerTailor, is determined to build a successor to the park he once called home.
Weeki Wachee Springs - Wikipedia
Weeki Wachee Springs is a natural tourist attraction located in Weeki Wachee, Florida , where underwater performances by " mermaids ," women wearing fish tails as well as other fanciful outfits, can be viewed in an aquarium-like setting in the spring of the Weeki Wachee River . A waterpark , Buccaneer Bay , river boat rides, kayak and paddleboard rental are some of the other activities offered at Weeki Wachee Springs.
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In 2005, English rock band Supergrass filmed their video for their song "Low C" at the Springs. They filmed a short documentary about the spring, as well as playing at a local bar and swimming with the mermaids. An NBC television special featuring Penn & Teller and filmed at the Springs was released later that year.[6]

In summer of 2006, stand-up comedian Thomas J. Kelly became the park's first ever male mermaid. His adventures were chronicled in a Web television series called "The Little Merman".[7]

On November 1, 2008, the state of Florida took over Weeki Wachee Springs as a state park.

From May 22 until August 30, 2007, the discharge level at Weeki Wachee spring dropped to a level that allowed for cave divers to gain effective entry into the cave system at the spring. The Karst Underwater Research team successfully executed exploration dives and the necessary in-water decompression to explore approximately 6,700 feet in multiple passages at an average depth of 265 Feet Fresh Water (ffw) with a maximum depth of 407 ffw. The 407 ffw depth makes the cave system under Weeki Wachee springs the deepest known freshwater cave system in the United States.

Scenes from Kelly Clarkson's video "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" include the mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs.[8]

Key scenes from Amy Seimetz's directorial debut Sun Don't Shine take place at the Springs and include the mermaids.

The 2017 documentary Mermaids featured the attraction as well as a number of former and serving mermaids.[9]

Weeki Wachee Springs State Park
An iconic roadside attraction meets natural wonder at historic Weeki Wachee Springs State Park. Step back in time and enjoy the classic mermaid show, but remember that this quintessential Old Florida site is also home to the deepest freshwater cave system in the country and abundant protected wildlife.
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10 Bubbling Questions About ‘MerPeople,’ Answered by Mermaids
From how to get your very own tail to how they see underwater. Spoiler alert: They don’t.
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The spring was named "Weeki Wachee" by Seminole Indians, which means "Little Spring" or "Winding River" in their language.[3] The attraction was created in 1947 by stunt swimmer and attraction promoter Newt Perry, who based the show on underwater air hose breathing techniques.[4] First an 18-seat theater, then later a newer theater with a capacity of 50, were embedded in the lime rock of the spring with viewing windows below the surface of the water, to allow visitors to watch the mermaids perform in the spring. The Incredible Mr. Limpet, an American live-action/animated comedy film produced by Warner Bros. had its premiere on January 20, 1964, at the Weeki Wachee Springs Underwater Theater. It was the world's first underwater movie premiere. In 1982, Buccaneer Bay was opened with water slides, a lazy river, and a white sand beach for visitors to enjoy alongside the theater with the mermaid shows.[3]

Guests to the park have included Elvis Presley, Don Knotts, Esther Williams, Arthur Godfrey, Kevin Smith, and Larry the Cable Guy. Hollywood has occasionally used the attraction and its mermaids in the filming of movies such as Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948), Neptune's Daughter (1949), and Sunshine State (2002), and many television shows like Route 66 (1963,

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, "The Cruelest Sea of All") and Bobcat Goldthwait's Misfits & Monsters (2018). At one point, the attraction was owned by broadcast network ABC, and this led to an increase in publicity for the attraction. Currently, the park is owned by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and is a member of the Florida State Park System.[5] The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.

MerPeople cast: meet the stars of Netflix's mermaid docuseries
Meet the stars of MerPeople, Netflix's deep dive into the world of professional mermaids.
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Eric Ducharme: Where is The Mertailor Now?
Netflix’s ‘MerPeople’ is an exciting reality show that explains the ins and outs of the mermaiding community. With cameras following several stalwarts of the community, we get to witness them go about their daily lives while balancing professional and personal commitments. However, while mermaiding requires immense skill, practice, and dedication, most performers are subjected to […]
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Morgana Alba: Where is Circus Siren Pod Founder Now?
With Netflix’s ‘MerPeople’ introducing the viewer to the mermaiding community, we get to meet several interesting personalities, including Mermaid Sparkles, who felt landlocked in Arkansas, Mermaid Che Monique, the founder of the Society of Fat Mermaids, and The Blixunami, who described themself as a non-binary merm. However, fans were even more excited when the show […]
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