- Ordering a mermaid tail online, Rebecca Ricketts, 30, couldn’t wait to live out her fantasy.
- A beautiful glistening turquoise, blue, teal, green and purple silicone tail, it weighed 10.5kilos.
- Now Rebecca is using her tail to raise environmental awareness and give a voice to the animals of the sea.
Here Rebecca tells her story in her own words.
Gliding through the water surrounded by colourful fish, I was in heaven.
I’ll never get bored of this, I thought.
It was 2017 and, aged 22, I loved snorkelling and scuba diving.
Always loving to swim, at school I was in the swim team.
My dad Scott, now 64, was into underwater hockey, so I loved the sport too.
‘That’s magical.’
I played regularly as a teen, which meant I could hold my breath underwater for around two minutes.
Often pretending to be a dolphin, I felt more comfortable in the water than on dry land.
After school I worked as a special needs teacher and then in digital marketing.
But I always made time to enjoy time in the water.
Scrawling through websites one day in 2015, something amazing caught my eye.
That’s magical, I uttered, transfixed by a stunning silicone mermaid tail.
Shimmering all the colours of the rainbow, it looked so authentic.
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Over time I couldn’t stop thinking about how wonderful it’d be to wear one and experience the carefree life of a mermaid.
But at a whopping $4500, how I could ever afford it?
‘I’m going to take out a loan,’ I said to my friends.
With that I ordered my own custom-made mermaid tail so I could live out my fantasy.
‘I’m going to take out a loan.’
Squealing with delight when the huge heavy box arrived in December 2017, I tore it open to reveal the most beautiful glistening turquoise, blue, teal, green and purple silicone tail.
‘It’s perfect,’ I said to my aunt Brigit, arriving at her house to try it out in her swimming pool.
Gently wiggling into the bulky 10.5kg creation, I slipped into the water.
Suddenly weightless, it felt so natural, twisting and turning, gliding gracefully, as I practised my dolphin kick up and down.
‘You are a vision,’ my aunt smiled.
To further test my mermaid skills, I took my new beau, Jackson, then 22, to the beach.
He walked along the shoreline as I swam in the shallows.
We had a whale of a day as he admired me swimming dolphin-style.
‘You’re a real-life mermaid,’ he chimed.
As our relationship blossomed so did my mermaid abilities.
Documenting my mermaid life online, I also started performing at pool parties, on the beach and on land at schools, libraries and community events.
Soon I was getting bookings, and before I knew it, I was earning money as a part-time mermaid.
‘You’re a real-life mermaid.’
My passion for the sea extended to wanting to protect marine life, so I’d compose songs and, dressed in my mermaid tail and matching bikini top, I’d strum my ukulele and sing about the importance of caring for our oceans.
Calling myself The Millennial Mermaid, I’d upload videos of my performances on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
They attracted a really positive response and, as my online audience grew, viewers begged for more and I discovered there was a huge merfolk community out there.
Desperate to make a splash with them, when I learned about The California Mermaid Convention in 2019, I went along.
Checking in, my eyes widened seeing 50 real-life mermaids in one pool.
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I had a mer-mazing day splashing around, blowing bubbles and making magic.
I’d found my pod!
Back at home, I had an idea.
‘I’m fed up with either losing my contacts in the water or having to wear boring goggles,’ I said to Jackson. ‘I’m going to develop mermaid goggles.’
‘That’s a mer-arvellous idea,’ Jackson agreed.
In 2022 my company GogGills was born, selling beautiful mermaid goggles. Completing my mermaid outfit, I’d wear my GogGills with one of my tails.
By the time Jackson proposed in 2023, I had two silicone tails and two fabric tails, all custom-made and moulded to my body for the perfect fit.
I even wore my fuchsia and blue fluke at my mermaid-themed bridal shower.
Hosted at my aunt’s house, where I made my maiden swim as a mermaid, and attended by fellow mermaids who’d become besties, I had a hoot.
Jackson, 30, and I tied the knot in September 2025.
Now, I still hold down a 9-to-5 job, but I’m a part-time professional mermaid.
I spend at least five hours a week in the pool or ocean.
Once Jackson even snapped me in the bathtub in my tail!
I recently had a full-body silicone mer-creature suit made.
Costing $10,000 and called Paua, the alter ego of The Millennial Mermaid, it takes three people to squeeze me into it!
There’s sometimes issues like getting blisters on my feet and cramps.
But it’s so worth it to glide freely through the water.
I feel so lucky splashing around with my tail on, and seeing the excitement on people’s faces.
While I’m getting to fulfil my fantasy, I also get to promote environmental awareness and give a voice to the animals of the sea.
