US woman creates Guinness World Record by swimming furthest distance in mermaid fin

Merle Liivand, a woman from the United States, has fetched a new Guinness World Record for the furthest swim in a mermaid fin. Last month, she had breached the feat by swimming 26.2-mile off the coast of Miami beach in just 11 hours and 54 minutes breaking the previous record which was also achieved by her. The officials of Guinness World Record confirmed the record last week. As per Liivand, she has a strong bonding with the ocean and has an immense kive for the sea animals, especially dolphins. She not only did it to achieve the record but also to generate and spread awareness about marine pollution. She regularly practiced swimming with a silicone mermaid fin without using her arms. Watch the video here:

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While being asked about the reason to swim in such a way, Liivand has revealed that earlier, while practising, she had mistakenly consumed microplastic while breathing under the water. It sparked her anger about ocean pollution and instigated her to take initiatives to prevent it. She said, “When I see trash, I get angry. At the end of the day, this isn’t just about a record, it’s about helping the community and the world.” So, she decided to set an example by swimming exactly like the marine animals. She used a custom-engineered mermaid-like tail fin which is called a monofin and swum using only her legs and feet. She loves dolphins and according to her, dolphins are her only companion while she cleans the underwater trash. She added, “Every time I clean the bay, I see dolphin tails swimming by to say hi. I feel a connection between us.” The Estonian professional swimmer, who started swimming after her lungs got collapsed due to auto-immune health problems, had followed a strict routine for over a year. She used to wake up at 4 in the morning to practice swimming under the same condition. Liivand also used to take magnesium and potassium pills to get relief from leg cramps and always tried to keep herself hydrated. “I planked for 50 minutes 3 times per week, attended yoga, focused on my breathing and nutrition,” she said.