If there is one thing that has fascinated mankind for centuries, it’s the belief that mermaids could be real. From divers to explorers, people have claimed mermaid sightings with their own eyes. They supposedly appear as human beings, except for the area below the waist, which is a large fishtail. Could it be true? The origins of Mermaids appear to have come thousands of years ago but still ring true to the present day.
Here are our top picks of famous mermaid sightings and amazing discoveries of real-life mermaid bodies throughout history, from the multiple accounts of mermaids. Unlike the fakes and hoaxes that are passed around, these mermaid sightings have something a little truer and different about their claims. Something about them makes it hard to deny the existence of mermaids.
2nd century, Gaul
- Mermaid sightings in the form of corpses were found washed up on the beach
- The Governor of Gaul wrote a letter to Emperor Augustus about mermaids
Mermaid sightings weren’t something that started recently. Quite the contrary, there have been claims that go as far back as the second century AD. The Hellenized Syrian writer Lucian has mentioned the possible existence of mermaids in his Natural History 9.4.9–11. Pliny the Elder has mentioned and describes numerous mermaid sightings off the coast of Gaul.
Mermaid corpses were found to be frequently washed up on shore with their bodies covered all over in scales. He also comments that the Governor of Gaul even wrote a letter to Emperor Augustus to inform him about these mythical creatures.
18th Century, Blackbeard’s Logbook
- The pirate Blackbeard mentioned mermaids in his logbook
- He avoided waters known for mermaid sightings
One of the most famous and feared pirates in history, Blackbeard, has mentioned the possibility of mermaids in his logbook. He had instructed his crew, on several voyages, to stay away from certain charted waters that he called ‘enchanted’ because of mermaids in these areas that Blackbeard and his crew members had reported seeing.
1493, sightings by Christopher Columbus
- Columbus claimed the mermaid sightings he had, were not beautiful creatures
- Historians claim what he saw was manatees
The famous explorer Columbus was said to have three mermaid sightings or sirens off the coast of Hispaniola in 1493. He had said that, unlike folklore, these creatures weren’t beautiful due to some masculine features on their faces. Historians debunk them as possible sightings of manatees. But nobody really knows what Columbus actually saw.
1943, Kai Islands
- Japanese soldiers of WWII saw many mermaids or “man-fish” sightings
- Claimed to be 150cm tall, having spikes on the spine, shoulders, and neck
The local villagers in the Kai Islands of Indonesia had a creature that they were familiar with. They called it the orang ikan, translated as man fish. During World War II in 1943, the Japanese soldiers stationed there learned that this was no myth.
These soldiers stationed in a 555 square mile area in the islands had multiple claims of encounters with these “man-fish” or, as the modern world calls them – mermaids.
The Japanese soldiers recorded not one but many different mermaid sightings, claiming they all saw the same thing. An amphibious creature that was mostly seen in the sea than on land.
The soldiers explained these sightings as:
“Roughly 4-foot 9-inches tall, pinkish skin, human looking face and limbs, spikes along its head, and mouth like a carp.”
Instead of a single tail, they had two frog-like long fins and long arms.
One such mermaid sighting happened when a troop of soldiers came to a natural lagoon after leisurely exploring the island. The lagoon seemed normal until they saw some thrashing in the water.
Suddenly, an orang ikan jumped out of the water and onto a rock. It turned, faced the soldiers, and let out a weird gurgling noise. Another same creature was seen swimming in the water towards them. They didn’t seem friendly, and not knowing the creatures’ intentions, the soldiers started shooting at them, but the creatures escaped and disappeared out of view.
A sergeant named Mr. Taro requested the villagers to inform him if any of the orang ikan were captured dead or alive. The soldiers summoned the general soon after, who saw these creatures with his own eyes. Mr. Taro tried his best to get the scientific community involved after the war, but unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
1967, Mayne Island
- Tourists on a Ferry had claimed mermaid sightings
- They claimed she was a blond woman, eating raw salmon
In 1967, a ferry with tourists was astonished to spot a blonde mermaid on a beach. The people who had these mermaid sightings said that she seemed to be eating raw salmon fish while enjoying the waves splashing upon her.
A similar mermaid-spotting incident was reported that same week, although a lot of people didn’t believe it was real. Charles White, from the Undersea Gardens, was desperate to prove her existence and offered a $25,000 reward for the mermaid’s capture, even going as far as saying that he would offer a room for the mermaid with whatever she liked. But nobody was able to capture or find the mermaid, and as time passed, the story died.
1998, Kauai
- A boat of ten people claimed to see the same mermaid sightings
- A diver managed to take a photo of the mermaid swimming past – experts claim it’s real
Jeff Leicher, a diver who is a videographer at the Jack Diving Locker of Kauai, claims that he not only had mermaid sightings but came into brief contact with a mermaid. The Kaiwi point mermaid is real.
He was 20 minutes off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii when he saw a form of a woman just 10 feet away, swimming with a pod of dolphins and keeping up with their fast pace, which Leicher thought was obviously odd. She suddenly jumped into the air, revealing her fishtail.
There were ten people on the boat who said they saw the same thing. They were only able to see her jump twice before she disappeared into the water. Leicher thought that was all, and he dived into the water to take some photographs of marine life, perhaps hoping he would get a capture of the mermaid, too. An hour later, the same mermaid brushed against him while swimming away.
Leicher quickly snapped images and was able to capture her in one photo as she swam away above them. These images were submitted to three high-profile photography labs, which analyzed them and said the images were real and hadn’t been tampered with.
2009, Kiryat Yam Beach
- Multiple mermaid sightings at Kiryat Yam beach at sunset
- NBC claims to have footage of the mermaid, with a $1 million reward still available for anyone who provides evidence of its existence
This huge incident had the media, the public, and the government all involved in uncovering the mysterious mermaid sighting in Kiryat, Israel.
In 2009, some onlookers said that there was a creature that resembled a young girl who would often be found on the beach doing tricks in the water. They kept seeing her for a number of days. It took a while for the news to spread reach the general public, and get the government involved.
When the government did finally get involved, they issued a $1 million reward for anyone who could provide solid proof of the mermaid’s existence. Capturing the mermaid was not necessary, and just a photo would suffice.
When the news was out, NBC got out to do some investigation of their own with a film crew at Kiryat. They filmed morning and night, above and below the waters, hoping to get some kind of footage of the mermaid. Then, late one night, the crew claimed to have seen a human figure dipping into the water.
The research crew did their best to follow the mermaid and capture it on camera, but it was to no avail. The mermaid disappeared, and the crew was left without solid proof except for some findings and shots by bystanders of the mermaid dipping into the sea. All the footage by both the crew and the bystanders was transferred to the Center for Coastal Ocean Research in Los Angeles.
Michael Shacht, the center’s director, examined the evidence and said that although it was impossible to clearly state that the figure in the footage is a mermaid, it still remained a high possibility.
The $1 million reward still stands, and tourists and locals are still on the lookout.
2012, Zimbabwe Dam
- The dam was blocked when divers were deployed to fix it
- During the dive to the blockage, workers claimed to have seen a mermaid and refused to dive back
In 2012, Zimbabwe dam workers were trying to install a water pump for local agriculture. When the pumps were blocked, local workers and divers were hired to see what was blocking these pipes. After submerging to investigate these pipes and resurfacing, these local divers and workers swore they would never return to those waters again because they had seen a mermaid.
But the government didn’t believe the workers and their claims of seeing a mermaid in the depths, so they hired divers and dam workers from outside. But these new people reported seeing the same thing and refused to go back in there to finish the repairs.
It’s not just the dam and its workers; the people of that land had no doubt about mermaids existing, and several have claimed that they’ve seen the proof even the mermaids themselves.
To this day, the dam is still not finished.
1967, British Columbia
- A group of tourists on a ferry in Canada reported this sighting
- The local city offered a 25,000 dollar reward for the mermaid, but no one came forward
Mermaid sightings have also been recorded by multiple tourists in British Columbia, Canada. One particularly intriguing sighting occurred from a ferry, where tourists claimed to see a woman with the tail of a dolphin, long, beautiful blonde hair, and she was even eating a salmon. This unusual encounter was reported in the Times-Colonist newspaper. However, no one has seen the mermaid since.
Some witnesses were convinced the mermaid was real, while others believed it was just a hoax.
1797, Off the Coast of Northern England
- The schoolmaster encountered a nude woman, female-like figure with light brown hair, distinct human features, and was sitting on a rock by the sea
- Initially skeptical, the schoolmaster became convinced of the figure’s existence after observing it for several minutes before it disappeared into the sea, seemingly aware of his presence
Mermaid sightings have been made my William Munro. About twelve years ago, while walking along the shore of Sandside Bay, William Munro noticed a figure that resembled a naked woman, sitting on a rock by the sea and combing her light brown hair. The resemblance to a human was so striking that, despite his initial skepticism, he was compelled to believe it was real. He observed the figure for about three to four minutes before it dropped into the sea, seemingly aware of his presence. Having previously heard similar accounts from others whose veracity was unquestionable, this experience convinced him of the phenomenon’s existence.
He explained the experience as:
“The head was covered with hair of the colour above mentioned [light brown], and shaded on the crown, the forehead round, the face plump, the cheeks ruddy, the eyes blue, the mouth and lips of a natural form resembling those of a man, the teeth I could not discover as the mouth was shut; the breasts and abdomen, the arms and fingers of the size of a full grown body of the human species; the fingers, from the action in which the hands were employed, did not appear to be webbed, but as to this I am not positive.”
1809, Thurso, Scotland
- Miss Mackay, an ordinary woman in the town of Thurso, Scotland, claimed to have experienced a real mermaid sighting
- She came across this encounter while walking on a beach
In a publication in the Kentish Gazette newspaper at the time, she described the mermaid as:
“The face seemed plump and round, the eyes and nose were small, the former were of a light grey colour, and the mouth was large, and from the shape of the jawbone, which seemed straight, the face looked short…The forehead, nose, and chin were white, the whole side face of a bright pink colour. The head was exceedingly round and hair thick and long, of a grey oily cast, and appeared troublesome to it, the waves generally throwing it down over the face, it seemed to feel the annoyance, and as the waves retreated, with both its hands frequently threw back the hair and rubbed its throat, as if to remove any soiling it might have received from it.”
1857, Coast of Britain
- Two Scottish seamen off the coast of Britain reported seeing a creature in the water
- Both John Williamson and John Cameron confirmed witnessing the sighting on June 4, 1857
The two men described the sighting as:
“We distinctly saw an object about six yards distant from us in the shape of a woman, with full breast, dark complexion, comely face, and fine hair hanging in ringlets over the neck and shoulders. It was about the surface of the water to about the middle, gazing at us and shaking its head. The weather being fine, we had a full view of it and that for three or four minutes,”.
FAQs
What are mermaids?
It depends on who you ask. Many people around the world believe that mermaids are exactly as described– half-woman, half-fish creatures with long hair that live in the ocean’s depths. But many others assume the ancient myths of these creatures are based on sightings of marine animals, like manatees and dugongs.
What are some mermaid facts?
Interestingly, mermaids were first written about in 1,000 BC in Assyria and have since been featured in stories and legends around the world. Many mermaid sightings are located on the coasts of Ireland and South Africa.
Where do mermaids live?
It’s believed that mermaids live throughout the world’s oceans. Throughout history, there have been mermaid sightings in nearly every country and along every ocean/sea coastline.
