I thought mermaiding was silly but a course made me feel more confident and connected to my feminine energy

• As a certified free diver and scuba diver, I thought mermaiding was performative and girly.
• But I kept seeing people getting into it on social media, and my interest was piqued.

Diving gently beneath the crystal surface of Bora Bora's turquoise lagoon, I floated beside a shiver of blacktip reef sharks. My legs, encased in a silvery aqua mermaid tail, fluttered in a series of delicate kicks beside my new underwater friends as I completed my Professional Association of Diving Instructors advanced mermaid course.

I'd never wanted to be a mermaid. As a certified free diver and scuba diver, I'd looked askance at mermaiding: diving with a costume mermaid tail. I'd first encountered professional mermaiding on my Instagram feed. I thought it was performative, pretentious, and girly; I'm competitive, tough, and stoic.

But as my feed kept serving stunning photography from mermaid photo shoots, I softened on the idea. I signed up on a whim for a mermaiding class during my stay at the Four Seasons in Bora Bora. During my course, I was surprised to find a new connection to my inherent femininity.

Mermaidcore is hot right now

I'm not the only one with an eye on mermaiding. Eric Albinsson, an instructor at PADI, said that the so-called mermaid industry was "exploding" and that the numbers of mermaid instructors and mermaids had grown over the past five years.

With the premieres of the live-action remake of Disney's "The Little Mermaid" and of the Netflix series "MerPeople," it's no surprise that mermaids are trending. The hashtag #mermaidlife has over 600 million views on TikTok, and "mermaidcore" has been deemed a summer aesthetic.

A week before taking off for Bora Bora, I took an online course detailing mermaid basics such as breath holds, equipment, and fundamental skills. I also ordered a cloth turquoise-and-gold mermaid tail from Finfolk and a separate plastic-and-rubber monofin to fit into the end of the tail.

Testing the water

I thought it'd be fun to lean into this feminine marine sport at one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. Brandee Anthony, a professional mermaid known as Vero Beach Mermaid, and her husband, Zeke Motta, a free-diving instructor with Primal Freediving, taught my course at the resort's stunning lagoon.

Putting on the tail for the first time was tricky. You insert the monofin in the bottom of the mermaid tail, slip on neoprene booties, and insert your feet into the foot pockets. The hardest part is wiggling the tight elastic waist of the tail over your hips. Once I was zipped securely in, I wiggled like an inchworm into the water.

Along with three other mermaid-neophyte students, I jumped in for the first of two four-hour "confined water sessions," which got us used to swimming with a mermaid tail. Luckily, I already knew how to duck dive, a free-diving technique for descending underwater quickly and smoothly.

The hardest part of the day was learning butterfly kicks. Using my waist and hips, I practiced weaving my lower body in one graceful, undulating movement. Performing this body-waving motion would've been hard enough without having my legs squished in a tight mermaid tail.

Connecting with my feminine energy

As I became stronger and more confident, I felt a new connection with my pelvis and hips, each flutter awakening my feminine energy. Walking through the resort later that afternoon, I noticed a natural sway in my hips and felt more present in my body.

The next day we worked on our breath holds, a skill I'd practiced in free diving. The most challenging part was the breath-hold swim. To pass the course, we had to complete a 328-foot underwater swim using butterfly kicks in one breath.

On my first try, I could barely finish, and I found myself gasping for air as I surfaced. Anthony told me I was exerting too much energy. On my second try, I relaxed. I kicked less and allowed propulsion to carry me through, which made it much easier.

After completing the course, we took photos wearing our mermaid tails and matching bikini tops and jewelry. The most exciting portion, though, was taking our newfound skills into the ocean and becoming real-life mermaids. We boarded a catamaran with Bora Bora Cultural Lagoon Tours and braved the choppy open sea.

Once I got the hang of things, I proudly and gracefully kicked beneath the cerulean waters of Bora Bora, as schools of shimmering tropical fish, reef sharks, and stingrays swam underneath.

Since my experience, I've felt more centered, having rediscovered some feminine qualities. I feel more empathetic, spontaneous, and creative. I walk with a swivel in my hips and concentrate on being more present in my body.

This enhanced consciousness of my womanhood is sometimes scary. When I feel vulnerable, I'll drive out to the ocean and take a dip in the water to remember how powerful I felt underwater mermaiding.