Miami Beach’s Real Mermaid
/Who is Merle? Merle is a mermaid. Merle is superhuman. Merle is saving the planet. This is a story about the unexpected and it will inspire you -- guaranteed.
Merle Liivand moved to Miami ten years ago so she could swim in warmer waters. She was born and raised in Tallinn, Estonia, just south of Helsinki, Finland where the Baltic Sea tends to run a bit chilly. Merle started swimming to combat her severe medical issues. Now she spends 5-6 hours a day in the water. When asked where she lives, Merle half-jokingly answers “the Ocean.”
Liivand was a preemie. At just 3 days old, doctors told her mom that she had lung and digestive issues and she was diagnosed with autoimmune system disease and asthma. At age 11, Merle’s lungs almost collapsed and her doctor prescribed swimming as a way to strengthen her breathing. Merle took it to heart and never looked back. Swimming became her religion. At age 12, Merle unfortunately suffered serious injuries to her head and neck after diving into a shallow pool. She explained, “That little moment where I was really close to ending up in a wheelchair it became clearer that Paralympians in this world are amazing in the sense that they get up and they keep going even on the days when things are not perfect.”
Inspired by adversity, Merle would sometimes win world-class swim competitions the day after she’d been in the hospital! Just last year, she discovered her iron levels were so low that her body was operating on half the oxygen that normal people do. In short, Merle is a medical mess that has somehow overcome everything during her 31-years on this Earth.
“I’m always hopeful when I go to a doctor. It’s better not to look at things in the negative, so I go in optimistic each time,” explains Merle. “Despite my condition, I am still breaking world records, running my businesses and being a champion for the Earth. It is my willpower that truly pushes me out of bed in the morning and says ‘Yes, you can’. It is mind over matter to get me over my struggles.”
Merle is the ultimate Dichotomy - a superhuman beating the odds every day. “If I took in all the diagnoses, I would be a sad and miserable person; but I’d rather be happy and do amazing things for the world.”
Swimming world records? Merle, also known as “Eco Mermaid,” has quite a few. She set Guinness World Records for the 10-kilometer mermaid monofin swim (2019), the 20-kilometer swim (2020) and the 30-kilometer swim (2021). In May 2022, Merle completed a world-record 26.22-mile (full marathon) swim using her mermaid tail in just under 12 hours. Mind you, a monofin swim is defined as NOT using your arms at all. Merle truly is a mermaid. Merle Liivand has also won national championships in the pool and open water -and- competed internationally in ice swimming and triathlon.
If that is not enough, Merle is a model and runs seven businesses. Among them are swimming training schools, designing pro swimmer training gear, acting as an international information broker, online swimming-related companies and Viking Beauty Secrets, a skincare company that uses only natural and sustainably pure ingredients. In disbelief, I challenged Merle, stating that no one can train 5-6 hours a day and run 7 businesses. Her answer was that she regularly takes business calls while in the water! And then she reminded me that her hands are free, as she only uses her mermaid tail for propulsion.
As if all that doesn’t impress, here is what really fuels Merle’s days. Conservation. Any time Merle is in the water, she is cleaning it. Even in competition, she will pick up trash and make sure it gets permanently removed from our oceans. “I’ve been part of the biggest world cleanup day and plan on expanding my efforts, both large and small. We all have to take incredible care of our planet.”
Merle is alarmed about how many bottles and plastics she pulls from our waters every day. “I concentrate not being an Olympic or world-class athlete, but rather to give back to the water,” reflects Merle. “I get sad and almost cry when I see what people are doing. We are all suffering when we pollute.” Merle works individually and as part of organizations. She is a World Cleanup Day Ambassador and was the reason there is a “Mermaid Law” law in Nicaragua that prohibits plastic bottles and explosives from being put in the ocean. She also speaks at Davos to world leaders about how she was losing her lungs and now is trying to save Earth’s lungs, the world oceans.
In 2021, the City of Miami Beach proclaimed April 17th each year as Merle Liivand Day (her birthday). In honor of the occasion, Merle will be in the waters for the two prior days. On April 15, in conjunction with Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day, Liivand will be attempting to set another world-record with a 30-mile mermaid swim. Then on April 16, she will race to win Swim Miami’s 10k. “On my birthday itself (April 17), I think the only water I will see is spa water,” joked Mermaid Merle.
“Miami-Dade County is so fragile, yet also so magical. Preservation is critical and I want to honor County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava who helped save the original mermaids – our manatee population,” explains Merle. “I am so happy to be here after watching about Miami on TV when I was a young girl. I’m excited to help spearhead conservation efforts here.”
“I’ve done a lot, but I fear it is not enough,” laments Liivand. “Microplastics are my newest grave concern. They are showing up in our wildlife and in human blood and our guts. As health concerns grow, this will likely turn into one of the greatest issues in our society and affect people in everyday life.”
“Even when I am tired, I feel I have the people of this city behind me,” gushes Merle. This author suggests Miami-Dade County and Mermaid Merle are one and the same. Both with severe issues, but also both beautiful and capable of beating the odds and thriving.
