Sometimes I think I was meant to live underwater! I’m much more graceful there. On land, my feet always seem to find something to trip on. Have you ever seen a mermaid trip? Of course not, because they don’t have feet, so they can’t trip or fall. It’s a fact … really!

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the ocean. Sitting near it, walking along it, swimming it … and, to me, there is nothing better than SCUBA diving in it. A lot of divers love the warm, clear tropical waters. Don’t get me wrong … I love those too. However … my lifestyle and my budget has meant that 99% of my diving is done right here in New England, simply walking off of our shores. And I love it!

If New England diving is my greatest passion, my 2^nd greatest passion would be sharing my love of our ocean with others and helping others to enjoy it. Nothing makes me happier when I am teaching SCUBA than to help somebody succeed, especially those students who are not sure that they can do this – because they can!

I also love to teach people, divers and non-divers alike, about the oceans and the wonderful creatures that inhabit our New England waters. I can talk about this non-stop, so it’s best for me to have an audience that actually signed up to learn about this.

I wanted to start to take my own underwater pictures to use during my classes and to share with my friends, so my husband bought me an underwater camera set for my 50^th birthday. I won’t tell you how many years ago that was. I have not yet embraced the technical aspects of underwater photography. If somebody asked me about my camera settings, I would likely respond “on.” We don’t need to be amazing photographers to capture images to share with our friends or to have for ourselves, or to even post in a blog! Of course I hope to continue to improve my underwater photography, but the process of taking the photograph will always be secondary to enjoying the experience that I am having underwater.

What do I do on land? I live in Connecticut with my wonderful husband Steve. Yes, he dives too, and that is how we met. One of our wedding songs was “Under the Sea” from the Little Mermaid. We have raised an incredible son and are now empty-nesters. People warned me that would happen if we raised him right. Steve and I own a bicycle shop having left our former careers after many years/decades. I enjoy almost anything outdoors – hiking, kayaking, bicycling. I am not an extreme sports person on land. As I mentioned earlier, my tendency towards on-land clumsiness would not be a great match for such activities.  

One final thing that you should know about New England mermaids. New England mermaids do not always look glamorous. We have to wear bulkier insulation and be more practical than our tropical relatives. It’s okay though. The visibility is usually poor enough that nobody is really watching us anyways.

So let’s head to the shore, dive in and have some fun! Thanks for joining me!