Philippines: Making a splash in the ‘mermaiding’ subculture that’s got fans hooked worldwide
- People are finding peace and acceptance in the tranquil pastime, ‘Everyone can be a mermaid!’ Filipino mermaiding and freediving teacher says
- The World Mermaid Championships were last held in China in 2019 and included 70 divers with neoprene tails flipping and posing in a giant glass tank

There was a pivotal moment in one Filipina woman’s life that eclipsed all others – it was the moment, she says, when she first slid her legs into a mermaid tail.
Queen Pangke Tabora is a transgender woman approaching middle age, and seeing her legs encased in vibrant, scaly-looking neoprene three years ago was the realisation of a childhood dream. It marked the beginning of her immersion into a watery world where she would find acceptance.
The former insurance company worker described the experience of gliding under water, half-human and half-fish, as “meditation in motion.”
“The feeling was mermai-sing,” Tabora said one recent morning while lounging in a fiery red tail on a rocky beach south of Manila, where she now teaches mermaiding and freediving full-time. “The world outside is really noisy and you will find peace under water. … It’s a good skill in the real world, especially during the pandemic.”
Across the world, there are thousands more merfolk like her – humans of all shapes, genders and backgrounds who enjoy dressing up as mermaids.
In recent years, a growing number have gleefully flocked to mermaid conventions and competitions, formed local groups called “pods,” launched mermaid magazines and poured their savings into a multimillion-dollar mermaid tail industry.
