Florida ‘mermaid' breaks world record again
A 32-year-old swimmer and environmental activist made waves in Miami, on Saturday, April 15, as she attempted to break her fifth Guinness World Record by swimming 30 miles around Biscayne Bay while collecting trash. While on her 30-mile swim, Merle Liivand, also known as "Mermaid Merle," was on a mission to spread awareness of the damage humans are causing to our oceans.
Liivand, who was born in Estonia and has been an avid swimmer since childhood, wore a monofin that resembled a mermaid's tail as she swam through the murky waters of Biscayne Bay, which is an estuary located along the coast of southeastern Florida. Liivand, a four-time Guinness World Record holder, uses her artificial mermaid-like fin to propel through the water without using her arms.
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Merle Liivand swims between Palm and Hibiscus islands next to a support kayak, during a 30 miles journey around Biscayne Bay wearing a mermaid tail while picking up trash to create awareness on plastic pollution and climate change, in Miami, Florida, U.S. April 15, 2023. REUTERS/Marco Bello |
Her motivation for attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest swim with a monofin -for a fifth time - was fueled by her concern for the environment. In an interview before her swim, Liivand expressed her dismay at the amount of trash she had seen in the area.
"Yesterday, when I was going to get my nutrition, I saw so much trash in the street. And it bothers me knowing that we just had a thousand-year rain [event]," Liivand said to Reuters, referencing the catastrophic flooding event in Fort Lauderdale last week. "You're walking around the day after this environmental event, and you're seeing people still leaving plastic bottles everywhere, and then, of course, it's going to go [into the bay] and get stuck on the drains."
Biscayne Bay provides a home to a diverse marine ecosystem, such as dolphins, manatees, seagrass and coral. The bay is vital to Miami-Dade County's economy. Activities, such as boating, fishing and snorkeling, within the bay depend on the ecosystem's health.
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Overview of Miami Beach, Florida, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on the left and Biscayne Bay on the right. (Kevin Fleming/Getty Images) |
According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Biscayne Bay has been a vulnerable ecosystem for some time, Reuters reported. Pollutants, such as storm runoff, are a major issue for the bay. According to Miami-Dade County officials, about 80% of the debris within the bay is from land-based sources.
Liivand embarked on her ambitious journey before the sun rose on Saturday. She was followed by a group of kayakers who rotated to keep watch over her safety and provide her with food and water.
Although the weather was fairly calm on the day of her swim, with high temperatures in the upper 80s in Miami, Liivand's swim was not without some difficulty. Her drive to break the world record and raise awareness about the need to protect the bay kept her fighting through several challenges, such as a strengthening current and multiple jellyfish stings.
"There are people who want to have this better, and that inspires me ... we need to save Biscayne Bay," Liivand told Reuters. "There were spots where it smelled like a toilet, and there were lots of seagrass, and I had to cut through like a Viking."
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Merle Liivand talks about the nearly 20 pounds of trash she collected during her 30-mile swim on Saturday, April 15, 2023. (Reuters) |
As Liivand emerged from the water after 14 hours and 15 minutes of consistent swimming, she was met with applause and admiration for her incredible feat. Throughout her swim, Liivand and her team collected roughly 20 pounds of trash from the bay.
"In 14 hours, my team picked up this," Liivand said, referencing the pile of trash beside her. "Every single person needs to do better because this came out from Biscayne Bay, where we all depend. We depend on it economically; we depend on it health-wise; we depend on the bay community-wise. If this is not shocking, then I don't know what to say."
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