Eric Ducharme has a unique talent. He slips on his handmade tail and dives into the clear blue waters of Florida’s natural springs. He swims as a merman, and the whole experience transports him as if he really is the mythical creature.
The 22-year-old was featured on TLC‘s show My Crazy Obsession. He says that he eats, sleeps, and breathes like a mermaid. He says being a mermaid is “It’s a lifestyle. It’s a path in life that I have chosen.”
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At least three times a week, Ducharme drives more than 1.5 hours so he can swim in a natural spring. Whenever he swims, he wears a handmade tail that he creates himself. One observer said, “I came out here looking for some alligators and saw a tail that I’ve never seen before in a river.”
Whenever Ducharme puts on a tail, he feels transformed. It’s a different world for him whenever he’s in the water. His own style of free-diving in his costume allows him to escape the world.
