I’m a real-life mermaid — I spend hours every day in my 11-pound tail
She’s living a life of porpoise.
Nikky Wegloop, 19, loves the water — and has turned her passion into a profession as a mermaid and qualified scuba diver.
Wegloop, who lives in Mijas Costa, Spain, spends her days swimming the shores as a stunning mythical creature in her custom-made tail in the hopes of inspiring others to seas the day.
“As a scuba diver, I am always in or around the ocean ever since I was little,” Wegloop told Jam Press.
“Stories about mermaids and movies and books about them always fascinated me, and when I got to an age where I could understand mythology, it was all I would read about.”
The first qualified mermaid instructor in Costa del Sol, Wegloop wears a light-blue tail made from 70% recycled polyester — with turquoise fins that cost $500.
The tail is nearly 5 feet long and weighs 11 pounds.
“Inside the tail, there is a monofin, basically one big shoe in the form of a fin where both feet go in,” Wegloop explained. “This will give me the power to move forward and give form to the tail, so we become real mermaids!”
Although she already has a working tail, one isn’t enough for this fish out of water.
“Just like shoes, there’s never enough tails!” she exclaimed, adding that she hopes to have a tail in every color one day.
She’ll have to shell out the big bucks, as tails retail for $200 to $5,000.
Wegloop shimmies into the tail like a skirt, then jumps into the water to swim with it.
She encourages everyone to try it, no matter their age.
“A lot of people think being a mermaid/man only entails buying a tail, but there is so much more to it,” she shared. “Anyone can learn how to gently swim through our big beautiful ocean!”
“Give it a go!” encouraged Wegloop, who dreams of setting up a school for people aspiring to become the next Ariel.
“Don’t be scared and don’t be embarrassed if it doesn’t go well the first time,” she added. “Just make sure to keep trying!”
