A woman from Florida named Merle Liivand broke her own record for the world’s longest swim with a monofin on Miami Beach, Florida. On May 7, Liivand swam 42.2 km or 26.22 miles off the shore in just 11 hours and 54 minutes. She wears a silicone mermaid fin to swim to increase her physical endurance and simultaneously campaign against marine pollution. Her intention is to raise awareness regarding what she terms as a “plastdemia” or “plastic pandemic” in the oceans.

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Liivand, who first started swimming because her lungs collapsed due to “auto-immune health problems”, stated: “Swimming with the monofin without using my arms is similar to how dolphins and marine animals swim. They have a fin and can’t use any arms.” 

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Regarding her record-breaking swim, she also accumulated all the trash she encountered in the ocean in a kayak that accompanied her. Liivnad expressed that she felt “angered” at the sight of massive amounts of trash discarded in the ocean.“

During the swim, she also got stung by jellyfish and “kept telling herself that it was not the time to cry”. However, she also discovered dolphins along the way. “I have a really special relationship with the dolphins, and I think they know I pick up trash. Every time I clean the bay, I see dolphin tails swimming by to say hi. I feel a connection between us,” she elaborated.

Popularly known as the “Eco Mermaid”, the swimmer from Tallinn, Estonia reportedly ingested microplastics from the ocean in a previous practice run before the record-shattering attempt. Her earlier record for the same feat was achieved on April 17, 2021, where Liivand reported that she could have continued her swim if the conditions were appropriate.