A woman has ditched her career as an English teacher to become a full-time professional mermaid in Sicily on a “much lower” wage, after seeing a “magical merman” on her local beach, and is now “happier than ever” with “no regrets”.
Moss Green, 33, is originally from Torquay, Devon but moved to Sicily in 2016 to teach English, and was looking for a new hobby in the pandemic that “reminded (her) of home”.
After seeing a man dressed as a merman coming out of the sea on her local beach in Sicily, she decided to take up mermaiding.
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/VA7W57H2HFKG5KM5DR5TLPRMZ4.jpg?auth=0b5dd25a50fc3785d329c21b21242655ab086ab2c3bce953664bed5078640a9c&width=800&height=800)
Moss encourages everyone to “give (mermaiding) a go” as the first time she tried it, it felt “exhilarating and exciting” and as if she was “more in contact with nature and the sea”.
After two years of mermaiding, which “always” resulted in people taking photos of her and asking questions, Moss was offered a job as a professional mermaid in Lampedusa, Sicily, through one of her Instagram followers.
To qualify, she was taught how to hold her breath underwater, dive, and perform tricks.
In the summer months Moss works about 12 hours a day as a professional mermaid. The pay is lower than her teaching salary but “enough to live on”, and Moss says “all that matters” is that she is “doing something (she) loves”.
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/G4P7WVWG2FPKDIF5BHUKBNXGE4.jpg?auth=2d2de179c0f2f48d3e835393b975b5fd4fbb996d9bb63dcc77e9d66b0c200a8a&width=800&height=800)
Day to day Moss hosts boat trips and teaches people how to swim like a mermaid – her oldest and most memorable customer has been a man in his seventies, who she thought was “pretty good at it”.
Whenever Moss leaves the house and there is a chance she will be “anywhere near water” she takes her tail as she knows she “will regret it otherwise”, and she cannot see herself having another career change “any time soon” as she “absolutely” loves the “freedom of mermaiding”.
“One day, all of a sudden, I saw this magical merman come out of the water, and then he dived in again, but what came out, it wasn’t legs, it was actually a tail – I was old enough to understand, just having turned 30, that it was a human with human legs wearing a tail,” Moss told PA Real Life.
“It was really magical to see on the secluded beach – at that moment it became really clear to me that mermaiding was what I wanted as a new hobby – it was a bit different and I could do it alone.”
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/7B4NTEMDLBJ4RHB5FUL3EW3PYE.jpg?auth=6fba2247511265b9f20c28cea3f8153432405fbafab51fe543660d5ec241861b&width=800&height=800)
Moss began teaching English in 2016 in Sicily and “has not left since”, and in 2020 she began dressing like a mermaid while swimming in the ocean.
She said: “In the pandemic, like everyone else I was looking for something else to do because all of my other hobbies ended, which included dancing, game nights or going to see live music.
“But we could go to the beach and I’ve always loved the water – the water stimulates many of our senses.
“Growing up by the sea, you get used to that horizontal way of life and it’s so relaxing and comforting, and whenever I moved away I missed the sea – I really wanted a hobby that reminded me of home.”
Moss explained how she felt the first time she tried mermaiding: “When I tried it properly for the first time I was in Scotland and it was completely freezing but I was so excited that I didn’t even feel how cold the water was compared to the Mediterranean.
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/Q57J2DWR2ZJ4RGYYNN6BADMMTI.jpg?auth=dc3897c080c546f15fb5139c9b35943bf154ad65bd7fa1d029384174ec04f76c&width=800&height=800)
“I was in there longer than I normally am – it just felt exhilarating and exciting and people were smiling at me on the beach.
“It just felt like the natural way to swim, and everyone should definitely give it a go, it keeps you more in contact with nature and the sea.”
In 2022 Moss turned her hobby into her job, after a fellow mermaid approached her online.
She said: “A mermaid asked me if I wanted to go to Lampedusa to train me on the job and give boat tours and teach people how to swim like a mermaid, so I accepted and I’ve been doing that ever since and I’m happier than ever, I have no regrets.
“I needed to be able to hold my breath, dive down a certain distance, spin around, swim facing the sky and name different fish – I can only hold my breath for about a minute at the moment because it’s the start of the summer.
“There’s lots of different fish and turtles in Lampedusa, so often we teach people about the area and how to keep the area clean.
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/XYZJIPMVKRPDTLGDBOKKOYZQDY.jpg?auth=888822ccf16f50b829d9d026208ba6b6fefe52a3ec2d06c549ce51ff918b2184&width=800&height=800)
“We do plastic collections with the students too so we can teach them about being environmentally friendly.”
In the summer months Moss works about 12 hours a day, and the salary is “much lower” than her teaching wage.
She said: “It’s enough to live on, and I’m doing something I love at the end of the day – that’s all that matters at the moment.
“Who knows what could happen in the future – for now, I’m getting my feet in the door of the mermaiding world and it’s an art form so I know it’s not going to pay a lot to begin with.”
Moss explained her family’s reactions to her new job: “I think they almost expected it, but my mum thought it was a bit crazy because I just turned 30.
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/E7P3S723HJJZFG6FLJQJIXGMXQ.jpg?auth=1c43a957c748a0243365d3c7534c6e9acc91fab39c80b5e3c8f7aea3c479b7cf&width=800&height=800)
“I think she thought it was something I’d do as a hobby for a couple of months, but once a few months turned into a few years, she realised it wasn’t. I keep a tail at her house – I still need to get her into it.”
Day to day at work, Moss performs in the sea for customers, takes them on boat trips and encourages them to jump in and have a lesson in mermaiding.
She said: “My oldest client was a merman – a man in his seventies.
“He was just watching other people do it all day and came over and had some questions.
“He had a lesson with me and was actually pretty good at it – if you enjoy swimming, it’s pretty easy to take up in a couple of hours.
![Moss Green](https://www.irishnews.com/resizer/v2/MW657FIF6RMKJEGY2FJ4RIU7RU.jpg?auth=55ad3b90d61de272010100359eeadd9b5ab49996e8bfb2134c9b8e1a72bcc18b&width=800&height=800)
“Now I bring the tail if I’m going anywhere near water, whether that be a river, a stream or the beach, because I know I will regret it otherwise.
“I just want to show my friends and let them join in.”
Moss has eight tails, which have cost her between £20 and £150. “I have different coloured tails made from fabric and one silicone tail – those tails aren’t so comfortable to swim in but more for show and they’re very expensive.
“I love it though because it does a fantastic tail flip when the tail comes out of the water, and I also have a plastic one which is good for diving and exploring the rocks.”
Whenever Moss has a spare afternoon when she is not working, she goes to her local beach to go mermaiding – she explained people’s reactions: “When I go into the water people always have questions for me and ask for photos – it’s really nice to talk to people.
“I get people of all ages asking me questions or are a bit shocked, but I’m happy about that too, especially after lockdown I think people need some happiness.”
Moss cannot see herself giving up her hobby for the foreseeable future, she said: “I can’t see myself stopping mermaiding any time soon, or having a career change – I just absolutely love the freedom of mermaiding.”