Like many kids, I grew up loving Ariel — but it wasn’t just the tail or the song. I loved that she was brave enough to run away, to chase something bigger, something unknown.
My first time in the water wasn’t scuba, or freediving. It was mermaiding.
Slipping into a tail felt like coming home. I wanted to swim better, dive deeper, move more freely — so I started learning freediving, step by step. That journey eventually brought me to Xiaoliuqiu, where I’ve lived, trained, and laughed ever since.
I’ve earned my AIDA4, my WAVE2, and even became a SUP instructor somewhere along the way. But in the end, I found myself circling back to where it started — mermaids.
This island stole my heart.
I love how the sea is part of everyone’s daily rhythm here — how grandpas and grandmas go for a dip when the ferry’s not running, how neighbors call out, “Sweetheart, have you eaten yet”
And they’re not just asking — they’re already bringing out three dishes and one hot bowl of soup, like family would.
So I stay. I swim. I teach.
And I welcome you to come meet the ocean the way I did — softly, curiously, like a girl who just wanted to run away and found herself turning into a mermaid instead.
