Two professional mermaids reveal how they get paid to live like Ariel (2024)

If you once dreamt of being Ariel in The Little Mermaid, or spent half your childhood messing about underwater, you're not alone. But these two performers have made the fantasy a reality, traveling across the U.S. to work as professional mermaids.

"I love giving people, young and old, a magical memory," Caroline Don—also known as Mermaid Lorelei—told Newsweek. "It makes my heart soar."

The Palm Beach resident, 30, is a freelance graphic designer and artist (@ladyelora) by day, but her side gig takes her to pool parties, hotels, Renaissance fairs and aquariums of all shapes and sizes.

Like Don, Pierce VanValkenburg has always been fascinated by the mythical beings. The 26-year-old now performs nationally and overseas as Mermaid Echo.

"The world below the surface of the water—the plants, the wildlife and the silence—always felt like my locus solus," VanValkenburg told Newsweek.

The Wisconsin native is passionate about conservation and uses performances to teach children about ichthyology (the study of fish), hydrology and more.

'I've Always Felt Very Comfortable in the Water'

Don's love of mermaids was inspired by watching the Disney animated movie as a child.

"Like most young kids, I played mermaids whenever I'd go swimming and I just never stopped loving them," she said.

She grew up on the southeastern coast of the U.S. and spent her childhood visiting pools, lakes and beaches. "I've always felt very comfortable in the water, it's always been so calming to me," she said.

Don started performing at birthday parties aged 17. After graduating high school, she moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to work as one of Ripley's Aquariums' first mermaid performers.

"It was a huge hit," she said. "We were all scuba trained and did lots of practicing in and out of the tank."

It was also her first experience of swimming with a silicone tail. On land, the tails weigh between 25 and 30 pounds, but in the water they become weightless.

"It's very different swimming with the tail, I tend to swim a lot faster because I have the propulsion from the fin," Don said. "I use a dolphin kick when swimming in my tail, where the legs move together."

Being a professional mermaid is fun, but it requires significant skill too. Don is certified as an open water scuba diver, so she knows how to use scuba equipment safely and can swim comfortably in open water and alongside wildlife.

She can also hold her breath for impressive lengths of time. Her record while lying still is 2 minutes and 14 seconds.

"Moving eats up your oxygen much faster," she said. "So, I typically stay down for about 25 to 45 seconds each time I dive depending on the tricks I'm doing."

The night before an event, Don spends the evening prepping and packing her gear—numerous tails and accessories including her pointy mermaid teeth. She then gets up early to do her makeup and double-check her equipment before heading to the venue.

Once she arrives, she sets up a spacious area to get ready as she needs to be able to lie down to get into her tail. Most of her beauty products are waterproof and the final look is secured with a strong setting spray.

All her accessories are designed for underwater use, including a crown with a special fixing to help it stay put.

As well as water-based performances, Don is hired for photo opportunities. Her favorite thing about these meet-and-greets is the reaction of the children.

"When I'm performing in a big aquarium or just behind glass it's hard to hear and see how the children are reacting," she said. "But in real life, they get so excited to see you and touch the tail and ask you everything."

Her husband Rick joins her at events, acting as her "assistant." The couple met at a gaming convention in 2013 and married six years later in a mermaid-themed ceremony at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

Rick, 54, works as an IT manager but also narrates some of her shows—dressed as a pirate. "He is the best husband I could have ever asked for," she said. "I wouldn't trade him for the world."

Although the 1989 animation still has a special place in Don's heart, she is excited for the live-action version of The Little Mermaid, which will be released on May 26 and stars Halle Bailey as Ariel.

"The trailer made me cry," she said. "The visuals are so stunning, but most of all Halle Bailey's voice is beyond what words can describe. She has truly brought Ariel to life."

'You Have To Be Very Comfortable With the Uncomfortable'

Pierce VanValkenburg, who uses they/them pronouns, was raised in a family of competitive swimmers, but a sports injury in 2012 led them toward a performance career. They discovered the mermaid community through MerNetwork.com, which they describe as "Facebook for Mermaids."

Their skills in dance, gymnastics and diving made them a great fit and they launched the Mermaid Echo business in 2016.

"What I enjoy about the water is the artistic freedom zero gravity gives me," they said. "Water is freedom, play, art, dance and all things safe for me."

VanValkenburg has since performed as part of a circus and at weddings, birthday parties and aquariums—they have even appeared in an episode of adventure reality show The Amazing Race.

Summers are particularly busy, with back-to-back shows and events. This means early mornings, exposure to frigid temperatures and joint pain.

"You have to be on all day and remember a ton of skits, songs and jokes," VanValkenburg said.

"You have to trust your equipment and your team wholly and completely, and you have to be very comfortable with the uncomfortable."

Alongside their performances, VanValkenburg teaches a diving course on how to swim in a tail. They are also a trained Red Cross lifeguard, an open water scuba diver and an emergency first response first aider.

"At its core, mermaiding is a danger sport, and doing it in a safe and effective way ensures my safety and the continuation of the industry as a whole," they said.

One of their favorite parts of the job is playing with children through the glass at aquariums. Rock, paper, scissors and the Macarena are particularly popular with crowds.

"I also love to blow bubble rings and swim through them to get to the surface," their said.

VanValkenburg makes their own tops but gets tails from specialist creators. The heaviest tail weighs 40 pounds. All the costumes are eco-friendly, from headdresses to makeup.

"Anything accidentally swallowed by a fish or other creature will harm them, and it is a mermaid's responsibility to protect the underwater creatures we call friends," they said.

VanValkenburg is currently studying for a master's degree in freshwater sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"I love giving kids an opportunity to connect with STEM in a way I never had, a way that is fun, approachable, silly and whimsical," they said. "Echo is a living, breathing example of why we should protect our most endangered aquatic resources."

VanValkenburg has a number of fish friends. They described them as gentle creatures and said studies had shown they have similar cognition patterns to dogs, cats and guinea pigs.

"There is a sturgeon at the aquarium named Karl who I believe recognizes me, and always approaches me for pets in the same way," they said. "He is a troublemaker sometimes. He's even nibbled my head."

This sounds very "Disney mermaid" but VanValkenburg is not a fan of Ariel's attitude to life under the sea.

"She wanted to leave the water," they said. "I've spent my life trying to spend as much time on or under it as I can."

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