On our journey to a neoprene-free world, many wonderful people accompany and reinforce us. We thank you all very much for your support.

LIZ PARKINSON
SHARK DIVER, STUNT WOMAN, ENVIRONMENTALIST

ALEXANDER RAUSCH
CEO & FOUNDER OF ECO PRO DIVERS

STUART COVE
DIVING LEGEND, SHARK PROTECTOR AND FILMMAKER

KIMBER KIEFER​
MODEL, FITNESS GURU, KEN KIEFER’S MUSE​

KEN KIEFER​
AWARD-WINNING UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER​ PRO

MANUELA KIRSCHNER​
PROFESSIONAL UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER AND AUTHOR

DR. DANIELA RODLER
VETERINARY ANATOMY SCIENTIST, PROFESSIONAL MERMAID, UNDERWATER PERFORMER

GEORGE MONTEIRO​
WRITER, CINEMATOGRAPHER, DIRECTOR

MARTIN AIGNER
PHOTOGRAPHER, REEF VILLAGE PROJECT

JULIA AIGNER
UNDERWATER MODEL AND BALLET DANCER

LENISA ANN CAREAGA
MISS MERMAID USA, PROFESSIONAL MERMAID, INFLUENCER

MERMAID KAT
PROFESSIONAL MERMAID, UNDERWATER MODEL, FOUNDER OF THE MERMAID KAT ACADEMY AND SHOP

JUDITH DE LA ROSA
ENTREPRENEUR AND DIVE GUIDE IN THE MALDIVES, WHERE SHE HAS BEEN LIVING FOR 20 YEARS

GERALD NOWAK & SIBYLLE GERLINGER
AMAZING COUPLE & UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHERS

​Kurt discovered diving at the age of 10 and followed his father to become a professional photographer. He was one of Europe’s first professional underwater photographers dedicated to bring the marine world closer to readers. Kurt has been fighting for over three decades to preserve endangered reptiles through his organization, “SOS-Seaturtles.” This connects him to Mermaid Protector in many ways: “One reason for my connection to Mermaid Protector is on the one hand ‘visual’ to finally have beautiful colors on the model pictures. But what is even more important for me is the fact, that this suits are made of the absolutely environmentally and ocean-friendly materials. Every diver who wears Mermaid Protector suits helps to protect the underwater world!”

More information about Kurt – www.photosub.com

Liz grew up in South Africa with a childhood full of adventure and sports, became a competitive swimmer at a very young age and was in the water everyday, which she truly loved. Swimming became her life. Working up to an international level of competition she moved to the United States for University at the age of 18. Until the end of 2019 she was living full time in the Bahamas and working for Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. She’s a diver and free diver known for breaking the norm when it comes to her expeditions setting out to prove that the sharks in our oceans are by no means like the ones we see in the movies.

By bringing awareness to the issues that these amazing creatures are facing, Liz has become a leader in Ocean Activism and a voice for those in our waters.

Liz now lives in California and has a couple of film projects. They are a mix of TV and documentary work that allow her to get creative, whilst promoting the message about shark conservation. Also, she is working on the second Avatar film for another year in California and from a shark conservationist standpoint, she is just carrying on doing more non-profit work. She wants to expand her Project AWARE work and look more closely into trying to combine anti-plastic and rubber pollution. #Neoprenefree diving belongs inseparable to it.

“You can’t change the world, but you can change the immediate surroundings in the environment in which you live in, and if you can be positive about that and make a change in your own life to help the greater cause. That is amazing because it’s a lot more than most people are doing.“ (Liz Parkinson)​

More information about Liz – Liz on Instagram

Alex is the owner and Managing Director of Eco Pro Divers. Their liveaboards are well known in the Maldives for their proactive approach to protecting the environment, the coral reef, and the ocean. We are really happy to have him as our friend. Alex and all the crew members are truly passionate about diving and ecology. Within their vision, they are doing a great job to help keep islands in the Maldives clean by using eco-friendly materials, actively involving their guests and local community, separating plastic, supporting local NGOs, and taking care of a new generation of responsible divers in this way. We hope you will want to know more about it and join one of their liveaboard trips in the future.

More information about Eco Pro Divers – www.ecoprodivers.com

Born and raised in the Bahamas, Stuart Cove has been diving nearly as long as he’s been walking. His father, who is a fourth generation dentist and avid diver, taught Stuart to SCUBA at age 5. He soon found himself working on one of his uncle’s dive boats. He was initially encouraged to be like his dad and become the family’s next dentist, but a debilitating tremor in his hand that would have required daily medication led him down a far more exciting career path. ​He opened what serendipitously turned into one of the most successful scuba operations in the world offering experiences that include interacting with sharks in one of the best locations.

More information about Stuart – www.stuartcove.com & www.lastmandiving.com

Kimber is a native Texan who loves the adventure of traveling, exploring the ocean, and underwater modeling in all settings. Kimber usually finds herself in front of the camera or shooting behind the scenes. Lately, she has picked up a fondness for creating her own special images behind the camera too. Kimber is a PADI Divemaster and has been diving for over 20 years. She is a major shark advocate and loves the opportunity to educate and help others understand sharks and their importance in keeping the oceans healthy & balanced. “Small steps make a big impact in Ocean Conservation and Ken and I hope that our underwater work contributes in some way to help educate people and work towards saving the ocean and its inhabitants.” She and her husband Ken work as a team to create underwater art. They have a passion for everything underwater and use it as a platform to educate and share their experiences with others. Hoping that it motivates and inspires others are their life goals and dreams. If you want something in life, you can have it: with time, passion, drive, dedication, consistency and hard work, anything is possible. Never allow self-doubt and fear to hold you back from doing something you love “The sky’s the limit and don’t let anyone or anything stop you from achieving your goals,” says Kimber. “It all begins with believing in yourself. Never give up and always be YOU!” ​

More information about Kimber – www.kimberkiefer.com

Ken Kiefer is an award-winning underwater photographer based out of Houston, TX. His goal is to create stunning imagery that builds love and wonder for the underwater world. He does a majority of his work with large predators; sharks, crocodiles, and rays but also likes to show the beautiful interactions of humans with these often-misunderstood animals. Ken brings an artistic twist to submerged visions, whether it be oceans, or swimming pools.

​More information about Ken – www.kenkiefer.com

Manuela Kirschner has been diving for more than 30 years with the same joy, enthusiasm and curiosity as her first descent into the miracle world of the seas. She has won several prizes in national and international underwater-photo competitions. Manuela is a dive and rebreather instructor who with her husband, Dr. Matthias Bergbauer, is engaged in ID-Books projects such as the “Indo-Pacific Reef Guide” and the “Mediterranean Sea Guide” with more books in production. Manuela’s great pride is the dive magazine, “Silent World,” which showcases dive travel and marine conservation projects. “People only protect what they know.” On Instagram she presents pictures of species with short ecological descriptions and relevant information about their conservation status.

More information about Manuela’s biodiversity project on Instagram – @Manuela.Kirschner

Daniela Rodler, known as “Munich Mermaid,” is an international performing underwater artist, combining diving, apnea, ballet and acting for her work as a mermaid, model and stunt. She supports animal protection projects and charity, and is mascot for a German environmental party. Next to whale sharks and stingrays, her favorite shooting partners are giant sturgeons and seals. Daniela has experienced many great adventures as a certified SCUBA and apnea diver. Daniela loves the versatile Mermaid Protector suits whose sea-life inspired patterns always enchant her anew.

​More information about Daniela –
www.munich-mermaid.com

George is an underwater filmmaker with over thirty years experience diving with and filming the beautiful and fascinating creatures of the sea. Most of his films have been documentaries, commercials or corporate films but he recently completed a feature film entitled, “Shark Whisperer”, which he wrote and and filmed on location in the Bahamas. It is a fictional adventure about a little girl who makes friends with an injured tiger shark and soon learns that everything she has been taught to fear about sharks is untrue and the most dangerous predator in the sea is man. It is an exciting and adventurous story with a strong conservation message meant to appeal to young people and inspire them to undo the harm their parents are doing to the ocean ecology and especially to sharks. Hollywood films, from “Jaws” to “Sharknado,” have done measurable damage by causing irrational fears and hatred towards sharks. “Shark Whisperer” will be the first feature film ever to show sharks in an honest and positive light.

More about George and Shark Whisperer – Shark Whisperer Movie

Martin was born in 1971 in Upper Austria and was interested in photography and the underwater world as a child. He has more than 30 years of diving experience, is a DIWA Certified Master SCUBA Instructor and can look back on more than 3000 dives in almost all the waters of the world. He has been commercial photographer for over 20 years. Countless works prove his success in numerous publications including “National Geographic” and “Underwater Diving” and exhibitions of his paintings in Germany and abroad underline the quality of his work. He is always happy to be a guest speaker at the Vienna Higher Graphic Federal Training and Research Institute and teach Artistic Photography Among her clients are renowned companies like Heineken, L’Oreal, Schwarzkopf, Alternative Hair Show, Hilton International, Esterhazy, Kursalon, City of Vienna, Segafredo, Lavazza and many more. He gives numerous workshops on the subject of underwater photography and is a coveted FotoPro tour guide around the globe. He is a brand ambassador to the following: Aqualung, Isotta, Poseidon Diving Systems, Shark Skin, Ameo Powerbreather, Mermaid Protector and Nikon.”

​More information about Martin and his project – www.martinaigner.at & www.reefvillage.org

As a child of the 80s in Vienna, Austria, Julia was already enthusiastic about water when she was just a baby. She was able to swim like a fish at 4 years old and her mother struggled to get her out of the water. She spent a large part of her childhood in the Carinthian lakes and by the sea. During her state courses in classical ballet, stage dance, musicals, and drama, Julia developed a pronounced body awareness and a great love for aesthetics and art. In early 2012, Julia met her future husband Martin Aigner during her first underwater shoot. As a dancer, singer and actress by profession, this was a unique experience and she and Martin regularly did artistic photo shoots to greater depths in the sea and local lakes, often accompanied by students of underwater photography. But they never lacked the time in the pool of the H2O Diving Academy, Neusiedl, to create beautiful series such as “Mermaid Seduction.” The joint non-profit project, “Reefcalendar, The Project for our Seas!,” was founded in 2016 and is particularly important. Every year, an art calendar is published and 100% of the proceeds are used in projects to conserve and protect our waters: “We want to draw attention to the acute grievances in the areas of pollution, overfishing, and species extinction, and do our part to raise awareness and improve these threatening conditions.”

​More information about Julia – www.juliadives.com

Lenisa Ann Careaga is a woman who had a vision of becoming a mermaid with a purpose. She grew up near the ocean and has a passion for water. She joined her high school swim team and became a swim instructor. Lenisa then decided to improve her skills by becoming certified in free diving and to become a professional mermaid.

As a successful model and actress signed with the Campbell Agency she landed mermaid opportunities for a commercial and movie. Seeing this kind of transformation, beauty, and confidence inspired her to explore more of the mermaid culture to the next level.

Lenisa entered into a mermaid pageant as Miss Mermaid Texas and earned a prestigious title Miss Mermaid USA 2019-2020. She pursed many environmental causes during this time, including advocating for the ocean. She was then invited to compete on international stage in Egypt at the Miss Mermaid International. She placed top 12 in addition to being awarded “Best Friendship”.

These experiences became the foundation of Lenisa’s strong desire to change the lives of others. After completing a certification in yoga & meditation and energy healing, she decided to open a mermaid school to accomplish these goals.

She created Mermaid Dream School in Dallas, Texas to gain swimming skills, an educational and awareness of our Earth’s oceans, and a new perspective of peace and confidence. She partnered up with 4ocean to bring her community together for clean ups and to join others around the world.

Lenisa only hope to share the joy and magic of being a mermaid and to have a influence in this world to protect all the water on Earth. She believes in the brand Mermaid Protector for its recycle material and its purpose to protect the ocean and its sea life.

​More information about Lenisa – www.mermaiddreamschool.com & Instagram: @LenisaLove and @MermaidDreamSchool

Katrin Gray, aka Mermaid Kat, is a qualified scuba and freediving instructor. She works as an international underwater model and as a mermaid she is committed to protecting the ocean. She not only swims with dolphins and manta rays, but also with tiger sharks and saltwater crocodiles.

At Mermaid Kat Academy children and adults are taught to swim like a mermaid. In the Mermaid Kat Shop they are provided with the right equipment. When Kat isn’t swimming around with her mermaid tail, she loves her Mermaid Protector suit with a scale pattern.

​More information about Kat – www.merjungfauen-schule.de & www.mermaidkatshop.de

Judith have been connected to the sea for as long as she can remember, as her life has always been intimately linked to the ocean. For her there is no life without the ocean!

She thinks there are people who are born connected to it, and you may ask: “how do you know? Well, you see, it’s just something you feel inside and you know you have to dedicate your life to it.”

Inside her there are two very marked emotions: passion and illusion. They are emotions that always go hand in hand and that is why her work is not just a matter of business and leisure, but goes a step further: it unites her passion for the ocean with marine conservation.

​More information about Judith de la Rosa – https://submaldives.com

Gerald was born in Bavaria, and started taking photos with his mother’s camera as a child.
He has been diving since the age of 16 and therefore discovered underwater photography very early on.
If there is a water somewhere, Gerald jumps in. Neither the temperature nor the salt content of the wet water matters, as long as he can get something big in front of the lens of his underwater camera. Gerald published his first photos in 1994 in the in-flight magazine of the airline LTU.
Since then, the long-time professional , has been inspiring readers with the results of his work in magazines around the globe and enjoys a worldwide reputation. He has already photographed leopard seals in the Antarctic and sperm whales of  Mauritius. The great white shark – without a cage – and narwhals are still at the top of his bucket list.

More information about Gerald- www.cr-photo.de
instagram: @Gerald_Nowak

Sibylle has been diving since 1988, and has worked for over 20 years as a travel journalist and author for various journals and magazines worldwide, often in collaboration with her husband, photographer Gerald. Ever since she took  a camera with her underwater, she has been fascinated by the macro creatures of the tropical seas, whose bizarre colors and shapes never cease to amaze her. The individual, colorful and sustainably produced diving suits from Mermaid Protector are therefore the perfect companion for Sibylle in the warm climates of Southeast Asia, where she loves to explore the underwater world.

​More information about Sibylle- instagram: @sibyllegerliner