The mermaid of Vero Beach: how one woman created an entire underwater empire (9 photos + 6 videos)
Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+
4 August 2024
Eight years ago, Brandi Anthony, a resident of Vero Beach, Florida, decided to try herself as a mermaid. It all started with a simple desire to go live underwater to please her Periscope viewers. But Brandi soon realized that the image of a mermaid captured her heart. 
After buying a fabric tail and a GoPro camera, Brandi dove headfirst into this new world. The feeling of swimming in a monotail turned out to be incredibly close to her, as if she had always been a part of this water element.
Inspired by her discovery, Brandi founded the Vero Beach Mermaid brand and began sharing her passion with others. Her local community embraced the idea, and Brandi found great joy in being able to put on a tail and become a mermaid – for herself and for others.
In eight years, Brandi Anthony has built a veritable aquatic empire. From a simple hobby, her “mermaid world” has grown into several successful businesses that she is proud of. Now, Brandi helps others fall in love with this art that combines beauty, grace, and diving technique.
As an experienced photographer and content creator, Brandi Anthony was already familiar with the creative space. Now she’s decided to combine those skills with her new passion: mermaiding.
“The next thing I knew, I had more tails and now I’m dressing people up in them for photo shoots and mermaid experiences,” Brandi recalls with a smile. But she didn’t stop there: “Then I started getting really into the water — swimming and diving — when I decided to teach people how to be a mermaid underwater. It was basically a form of scuba diving.”
Brandi teaches PADI Free Dive and mermaid certification, which allows you to free dive with monotails. “We do a lot of retreat-style classes, so you can travel with us all over the world to beautiful places. “You can learn to free dive with a bi-fin or a mono-fin, and it’s a huge success,” Brandi continues. “I’ve been to some of the most beautiful places with PADI-certified people. We offer kids and adults classes, pool courses, open ocean trips, exotic places, safety training. We teach about being a water keeper, being safe in the water, and just empowering people.”
Clients of her dive company, Mermaid Freedive, have the opportunity to earn their PADI Freedive and Mermaid certifications in an all-inclusive retreat.
On TikTok, Brandi Anthony has become a celebrity in the world of professional mermaids. She’s happily let people into her magical underwater world, teaching them the intricacies of caring for her luxurious fins.
“People often ask what mermaid tails are made of,” Brandy smiles. “We use a variety of fabrics, from stretchy swim jersey to soft materials. Most mermaid tails are safe for diving, but some can be unsafe. That’s why our classes are so important – they teach people which tails are safe for swimming and which are best saved for photo shoots.”
Brandy proudly shows off her favorite tail, created by Finfolk Productions. This 16-pound silicone masterpiece, reminiscent of dragon skin, has a built-in monofin, allowing you to swim with maximum grace.
“These tails require special care,” Brandy explains. “If they are not dried properly, moisture can accumulate in them and the lifespan will be shortened. So disinfecting and drying them properly is very important to preserving this work of art.” Brandi compares her unique tail to an incredible painting that you can hang on your wall. But in her case, she wears this masterpiece on her body, becoming a real mermaid.
Professional mermaids only get a few of these luxurious tails in their entire career. But Brandi thinks they are worth it. “They are incredibly cool to dive in,” she says with admiration. “They are so fluid, they have amazing propulsion.”
People often ask if these silicone masterpieces are difficult to swim in. But Brandi assures that they are not. “As long as you can connect your body to mono-motion, they are incredibly fun and powerful to swim in. I can easily dive 20 meters on one breath in one tail.”
Brandi especially loves working with children, helping them preserve the magic of the underwater world. “When you’re around kids, you can really help preserve that magic with a tail of this caliber,” she smiles.
Despite her boundless love for the water, Brandi faces criticism from those who believe she has convinced herself that she is, in fact, a mermaid. “I love being and embodying a mermaid. I love diving as a mermaid. But I know that when you do something unusual and quirky, there’s going to be some negativity,” she admits. However, Brandi doesn’t let the criticism stop her: “Anyone can have an inner mermaid. Of course, I know I'm not really a mermaid. This is what I chose as a profession because it's the fire in my soul."
For Brandi, it's "incredibly fun and rewarding on both a personal and professional level." So she tries to ignore the comments online. "No matter what you do in life, someone is going to criticize it, so it's best to ignore it and just do what you love."
This creative work requires Brandi to take care of herself. “Whether it’s fun dives, creating my own art, working out at home, or taking days off, I listen to what my body and mind need,” she says.
Brandi Anthony also finds time to network professionally with other mermaids. This is her second year hosting the Mermaid Free Dive Summit, a three-day event dedicated to certified mermaids, specifically the PADI mermaid community. “The mermaid industry is pretty niche, but once you get into it, it’s a very active world,” says Brandi. “It’s a lot of fun to be around other people who are passionate about something as unique as mermaids.”
There’s a special energy at the summit. “We want to do a few things to help instructors and professionals hone their skills, especially around safety and education,” Brandi explains. There are competitions, certification for new mermaids, and fun content creation.
“At the last gala, we raised money for a local sea turtle nonprofit, and on the third day of the event, we did a beach cleanup,” Brandi says proudly.
“Mermaids have become the one piece of me that was missing before I had a tail,” Brandi says. She believes it gives people a chance to live out their fantasies and bring back a sense of childhood magic.
"You're giving kids back the magic that might have been lost. As we get older, society can take a lot away from us. It helps someone continue to believe in magic."
Now, everything Brandi does, from photography to teaching to organizing retreats, is mermaid-related.
"It's really fun sharing my passion online knowing that 99 percent of people have no idea what I'm talking about. What I've learned is to not try to explain it, but just share what I love and invite other people to try it too. It's also just great fitness. At the end of the day, it's about having fun and learning about yourself."
