Merle Liivand (also known as Eco Mermaid and Merle The Mermaid; born 17 April 1991)[1] is an Estonian Olympic swimmer and environmental activist.[2][3][4][5]
Career
editAs of 2015, Liivand was teaching swimming lessons at St. Francis College's mermaid school.[6][7] In May 2022, she completed a 26.22 miles (42.19 kilometers) swim while wearing a silicone monofin in 11 hours and 54 seconds. The swim took place in Florida and came after her latest 18.6 miles (30 kilometers) record, which was achieved in 9 hours and 19 minutes.[8][2][9][10]
In 2023, she swam for 30 miles (50 kilometers) for 14 hours and 15 minutes around Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. The goal of swimming for 30 miles was set to allude to the United Nations Environment Program's "30x30" goals for 2030. During the swim, she picked up garbage in the water with a plastic bag. In that year, Liivand had received five Guinness World Records awards related to swimming.[11]
According to Liivand, she started attempting to raise awareness about marine pollution after observing high concentrations of garbage in the sea and on the beach during the 2016 Olympic games at Rio de Janeiro.[3] She stated that she had planned to swim at the Biscayne Bay at one point, but canceled the event due to the concentration of toxic debris and plastic in the water.[2] She stated that, during a training session prior to her June 2022 swim in Florida, she nearly ingested microplastics while breathing in the water.[12]
Personal life
editLiivand was born in Tallinn.[13] She started swimming as a child due to her breathing problems.[14] She moved from Estonia to Florida at the age of 10.[14] She lives in Miami Beach, Florida.[2]
References
edit- ^ "Merle Liivand". World Aquatics. 2023. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ a b c d Anwer, Saira (2024-04-17). "South Florida activist 'Merle the Mermaid' postpones Biscayne Bay record-breaking swim due to pollution". WPLG. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ a b Modak, Susmita (2021-08-16). "Merle Liivand Holds A New Guinness World Record For 9-Hour Monofin Swim". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ Webster, Charlie (2023-08-25). "Meet the eco-friendly 'mermaid' cleaning oceans one record-breaking swim at a time". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ "US woman stung by jellyfish goes on to swim 42.2 km wearing monofin to break Guinness World Record". TimesNow. 2022-06-09. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ "Mermaid School 'World of Swimming' Makes a Splash". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ Wahyuningsih, Merry. "Belajar Jadi Putri Duyung di Sekolah 'World of Swimming'". gaya hidup (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ Sanchez, Yenny (2022-06-12). "Woman sets record swimming 26.22 miles in a mermaid fin". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ Vargas, Ramon Antonio (2022-06-14). "'Eco mermaid' sets world record for monofin swimming at 26.22 miles". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Woman sets record swimming 26.22 miles in a mermaid fin". WTOP News. 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ White, Caleb (2023). "Merle the Eco Mermaid From Florida Wants to Set 5th Guinness World Record for Swimming 50 Kilometers to Collect Trash". Science TImes.
- ^ "Woman sets Guinness World Record for the farthest swim in mermaid fin". The Indian Express. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Miami Beach's real mermaid, Merle Liivand". Miami's Community News. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2024-07-13.
- ^ a b Funcheon, Deirdra (2023). "Miami Beach mermaid attempts world-record swim". Axios.