Dedicated to becoming a genuine mermaid, a mother-of-three spends the entire year swimming in the open ocean and has the ability to dive to depths of 65 feet while holding her breath for up to four minutes.
Emma Harper, 41, better known as Mischief the Mermaid, is from Truro, Cornwall and spends “much of her time” swimming, teaching others how to be mermaids safely, and even modeling in the open sea.
Every week, the mother-of-three engages in six hours of rigorous cardio exercise both in and out of the water to keep her in top shape for navigating the waves and captivating enthralled spectators.
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Along with the Cornish Merpod, the 41-year-old promotes the advantages of living near the ocean for one’s mental health.
Although she can hold her breath for four minutes at the moment, the ocean mermaid instructor and underwater artist, who is married to on-trade sales manager Craig Harper, 50, claimed she’s aiming for a whopping six in the future.
Emma said: ‘I started mermaiding years ago when I did free-diving.
‘I was the mermaid that first swam into Newquay and infected the water and since then mermaid spores have turned everyone.
‘There are lots and lots of mermaids but I think what makes Mischief the Mermaid, and Cornish mermaids, unique is that we actually do it in the ocean with the swell and the rips.
‘The wave of mermaid magic is happening, the mermaids are assembling.
‘I’m excited about it because I think it’s our chance to get people aware of the oceans so that they’re safer around water.
‘On the topic of mermaiding, people do roll their eyes and they straight away assume I’m a woman that just dresses up like cosplaying.
‘We are mermaids because we have a living heartbeat, I dive happily 20 metres down, I spend most of my time in the sea so for me mermaids are real.
‘I can hold my breath for four minutes, but I want to do six minutes in future.’
Emma developed a love of the ocean as a small child, spending countless hours in the water or relaxing on the beach while “squeaking like Madison” from the popular 1984 film Splash.
Emma, a Scuba Schools International (SSI) ocean mermaid course instructor, said, “I’ve been mermaiding since I was a tiny one and I was a keen swimmer as a child.”