My Origin Story...
A Professional Mermaid
Shello! I’m Una the Mermaid—a shapeshifting performer, vintage dreamweaver, and the creator of the original traveling circus wagon–style traveling mermaid tank show!
I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised with a profound love for the ocean. From my earliest memories, I identified as a mermaid, drawn not just to the shimmer of water, but to its spirit, its rhythm, and its wisdom. After moving to the mainland, I experienced a deep cultural and emotional disconnection from the ocean. Yet the teachings of Aloha... love, care, reverence have remained in my bones. Though I now live in Portland, Oregon, I continue to share that spirit in all that I do.
I began professional mermaiding in 2011, founding a pod that performed throughout the Pacific Northwest. Together, we brought mermaid magic to parades, festivals, and waterfront gatherings, until I felt a new vision calling.
In 2019, I unveiled my vintage traveling mermaid tank show! The tank was hand built by myself and my husband. I designed every detail to echo vintage sideshow enchantment while honoring the mythic power of merfolk. Today, I remain one of the very few mermaids in the U.S. who tour with their own tank. Until recently, my traveling tank has been the only circus inspired design on the road. My shows are rooted in history and fantasy, blending vintage spectacle, immersive audience engagement, and underwater performance art. But the tank is only part of my story.
Unlike many traditional performers who keep one signature look, I love to shift costumes, colors, and vibe with the tides. This makes me highly adaptable to any setting and allows me to express my inner moods and creativity! Ethereal one day, haunting the next. Pink, blue, green or a scary siren under the moonlight, my changing appearance is my brand.
💫 Still Swimming. Still Sparkling. From behind the tank glass, I’ve waved to thousands of curious faces... children, dreamers, skeptics, artists. My show changes with the seasons, but the invitation remains the same:
Come closer. Press your hand to the glass. Let yourself believe.
Shello! I’m Una the Mermaid—a shapeshifting performer, vintage dreamweaver, and the creator of the original traveling circus wagon–style traveling mermaid tank show!
I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and raised with a profound love for the ocean. From my earliest memories, I identified as a mermaid, drawn not just to the shimmer of water, but to its spirit, its rhythm, and its wisdom. After moving to the mainland, I experienced a deep cultural and emotional disconnection from the ocean. Yet the teachings of Aloha... love, care, reverence have remained in my bones. Though I now live in Portland, Oregon, I continue to share that spirit in all that I do.
I began professional mermaiding in 2011, founding a pod that performed throughout the Pacific Northwest. Together, we brought mermaid magic to parades, festivals, and waterfront gatherings, until I felt a new vision calling.
In 2019, I unveiled my vintage traveling mermaid tank show! The tank was hand built by myself and my husband. I designed every detail to echo vintage sideshow enchantment while honoring the mythic power of merfolk. Today, I remain one of the very few mermaids in the U.S. who tour with their own tank. Until recently, my traveling tank has been the only circus inspired design on the road. My shows are rooted in history and fantasy, blending vintage spectacle, immersive audience engagement, and underwater performance art. But the tank is only part of my story.
Unlike many traditional performers who keep one signature look, I love to shift costumes, colors, and vibe with the tides. This makes me highly adaptable to any setting and allows me to express my inner moods and creativity! Ethereal one day, haunting the next. Pink, blue, green or a scary siren under the moonlight, my changing appearance is my brand.
💫 Still Swimming. Still Sparkling. From behind the tank glass, I’ve waved to thousands of curious faces... children, dreamers, skeptics, artists. My show changes with the seasons, but the invitation remains the same:
Come closer. Press your hand to the glass. Let yourself believe.
🎭 Founder & Festival Producer
Deeply immersed in my community I am also an event producer and community organizer. I am the proud founder of the annual Portlandia Mermaid Parade and Festival. The parade first started back in 2016 and has since become a 3-day celebration of merfolk culture, water advocacy, local art, and community joy! The festival includes the Sirens Ball, The Portlandia Mermaid Parade and now the PNW Mermaid Confluence. All three events are the grand finale of PDX S.P.L.A.S.H. Month, a month long celebration of Stewardship, Preservation, Local, Arts, Sustainability and History as it pertains to water in the Pacific NW! My mission as a mermaid goes well beyond entertainment, it's about sparking wonder, amplifying water protection, and creating spaces where everyone feels invited to believe in a little magic.
Deeply immersed in my community I am also an event producer and community organizer. I am the proud founder of the annual Portlandia Mermaid Parade and Festival. The parade first started back in 2016 and has since become a 3-day celebration of merfolk culture, water advocacy, local art, and community joy! The festival includes the Sirens Ball, The Portlandia Mermaid Parade and now the PNW Mermaid Confluence. All three events are the grand finale of PDX S.P.L.A.S.H. Month, a month long celebration of Stewardship, Preservation, Local, Arts, Sustainability and History as it pertains to water in the Pacific NW! My mission as a mermaid goes well beyond entertainment, it's about sparking wonder, amplifying water protection, and creating spaces where everyone feels invited to believe in a little magic.
Beyond performance, I walk the path of a water priestess and mermaid oracle. As a priestess, I serve water as both element and archetype, honoring its physical needs through stewardship and its spiritual essence through ritual, education, and embodiment. As a mermaid oracle, I offer seashell and water readings to help others access healing, imagination, and deep emotional clarity. I’m also in the process of developing the Wai-Ola Temple for Water Healing and Magic, a sanctuary for oceanic remembrance, ritual, and community restoration. (Visit the Water Oracle page to learn more.)
My work is also deeply shaped by my academic and activist background. I hold a Ph.D. in psychology and a master’s in conflict resolution, with training in adult education, child development, and restorative justice. As a survivor of childhood trauma and family violence, I’ve dedicated my life to creative healing, for myself, and for others. I believe imagination is a key to healing. I believe creativity can open the door to the hard, transformative conversations we need to have about justice, equity, and peace.
Whether I’m waving from behind tank glass, teaching, reading shells, or creating immersive experiences, my goal is always the same:
To bring people closer to water.
Closer to healing.
Closer to wonder.
Closer to believing.
Whether I’m waving from behind tank glass, teaching, reading shells, or creating immersive experiences, my goal is always the same:
To bring people closer to water.
Closer to healing.
Closer to wonder.
Closer to believing.
Be sure to follow & support me on social media:
FB https://www.facebook.com/unathemermaid
IG una_the_mermaid
TikTok @unathemermaid1
FB https://www.facebook.com/unathemermaid
IG una_the_mermaid
TikTok @unathemermaid1
