Swimming into Summer: Catalina Island Mermaids

With her one fabric mermaid tail and immense passion for the ocean, Elaina Garcia knew that she could make other people’s dreams come true on Catalina Island.

“When I started advertising and I got my first client, I made sure that the cost would cover me purchasing a tail for them to wear,” says Garcia. “And so, then that’s how I built my stock – now I have over a hundred tails.”

What makes “mermaiding” in Catalina so magical are the lush kelp forests beneath the surface. Garcia saw an opportunity on the island because of the scuba diving community and wanted her business to be more than just swimming in the ocean with a tail, so Catalina Island Mermaids emerged in 2022, and Garcia is the best on the island to teach tourists and ocean lovers alike to embrace being a mermaid.

Of course, there are such things as scuba diving and swimming safety certificates, but what has emerged from the growing mermaid culture on social media are mermaid courses through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI).

Swimming off the coast of Catalina is astonishing, as the sea life is robust and a bit different than here on the mainland, but the opportunity for mermaiding near Long Beach is more accessible than one might think.

Catalina Island Mermaids has partnered with pools on the mainland that have PADI mermaid courses. There are classes for 12 years and older held regularly in Cypress by the sister company, Adventure Mermaids, which will prepare every mermaid for open-water swimming and beyond.

In October of 2022, Catalina Island Mermaids was featured on local news stations and even in People magazine for a thrilling once-in-a-lifetime story. Garcia was out in the water teaching a class and saw a scuba diver in need of desperate help, so she swam to his rescue and performed lifesaving mouth-to-mouth, all while in her pink mermaid tail.

One of the biggest passions that has come out of being a business owner and teaching others how to swim in a mermaid tail has interestingly been water safety.

“Whether you’re swimming as a mermaid, as a snorkeler, as a scuba diver, or taking swimming lessons for the first time, it’s such an important lifesaving skill,” Garcia says firmly.

Photography was not something she pursued prior to her business, but she knew photoshoots were a must. After one chooses a uniquely vibrant tail, there are multiple places on the sand or the rocks where mermaids can flip their tails and Garcia captures fun photos that make anybody feel confident and “mer-mazing.”

When coming out to Catalina, Garcia wants to ensure that every mermaid comes leaving their expectations at the door.

“I do think that it’s just about showing up and just accepting yourself as you are in that moment,” says Garcia. “You’re going to feel a little silly at first, it’s actually going to be fun. You’re going to feel beautiful; you’re going to feel powerful.”

Connect with Catalina Island Mermaids:

Instagram: Catalinaislandmermaids

Website: https://catalina-island-mermaids.com