Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Capps.
Hi Anna, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a 30-year-old South Carolina native with a background in Behavioral Neuroscience (actually published on a couple papers). I grew up in the Pee Dee region of SC and spent summers smelling the pluff mud and playing in sand and sea along the coast. I’m also a third-generation dive industry professional and entrepreneur.
My father and maternal grandfather both influenced my love and connection with diving and all things water-related. My grandfather, specifically, was like my own personal Jaques Cousteau. I grew up listening to tales of his diving adventures in the Keys and Caribbean and carefully inspecting all of the treasures he had collected over the years. When my grandfather passed away in 2016 and graduate school funding was non-existent, I decided to make my way as an entrepreneur instead of continuing to force myself into the box that is academia.
I founded Deep Blue Aquatics as a way to merge all of my strengths and skills. I built my business specifically to have two sides that would support and feed into one another. One was the aquatic safety training side (swim lessons, lifeguard certifications, dive instruction), and the other was aquatic performance (mermaiding and underwater modeling). It wasn’t the easiest business to get started in central South Carolina. There’s nothing like having to build a need for a service before you can even market it. Thankfully, the safety training side of my business was in high demand while I worked to show people what professional mermaiding has to offer.
After a few years of swimming into the current, building a business, and traveling across the southeast for courses and performances, 2020 was slated to be a banner year.
Que COVID.
In the month of April alone, I saw upwards of $10,000 worth of events and courses vanish. As for most people, it was a long, long summer. By the time things began to re-open, I was looking at about one month of viable business time before I entered slow season. I decided that rather than spend another six months crying on my yoga mat, I was going to seize the opportunity and make a move that I had always dreamed of… the Florida Keys.
I moved to Key Largo in October of 2020 and got plugged into the dive community. I worked towards getting my certification numbers up and increasing my instructional offerings. I brought PADI Freediving to Key Largo and was the first to begin teaching the PADI Mermaid program (which launched Feb 2020) in South Florida. I’m now back to being a full-time entrepreneur and business owner, teaching PADI Freediving and PADI Mermaid courses across the southeast. I also partner with KIllshot Spearguns in Islamorda as a spearfishing guide to help educate our local spearfishing community and create safer spearos.
More personally:
I currently live as a full-time cruiser onboard a trawler, “Fancy,” (home port Key Largo, FL), with my boyfriend, Mark, and our two cats, Tug (short for Tugboat) and Gerald. We are actively cruising north right now to visit family in SC for the holidays and have so far covered about 600 nautical miles.
In my spare time, I’m an active member of the Florida Keys chapter of Business and Professionals Women’s Foundation (BPW), a volunteer with Surfrider Florida Keys, and member of the USA Freediving Board of Directors. When I’m not in the water (which is most of the time), I’m usually roller skating outside in the sunshine or dancing around in the galley.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being an entrepreneur is never really a smooth road.
Initially, I faced challenges of just simply marketing my business. In 2016, people really didn’t know what a professional mermaid was, much less why they should hire one.
Then, as I really became involved within the industry, I began to realize there was a severe lack of safety training and accountability. I became involved in professional conventions (MerMagic Con specifically) in order to help bring awareness, build professional safety standards within the industry, and provide access to necessary training. 2023 will be my fourth year as an instructor at MerMagic Con where I’ll be teaching PADI Basic Freediver and Red Cross First Aid/CPR courses.
Now, with the launch of the PADI Mermaid program and the boom of the mermaiding industry, the struggle is to set myself apart from other companies. Although, at my level and experience within the industry, I’m happy to say I’m finding much more collaboration than competition. I have peers to which I can refer students and fellow business owners who can commiserate and brainstorm over a glass of wine or Zoom call.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself a Mermaid Safety Specialist and full-time Dive Professional.
Performing as “The Deep Blue Mermaid,” I have made appearances at renaissance festivals, aquariums and private events all across the Southeast. I work closely with local organizations as an advocate for conservation and STEM education. In my spare time, I am also a volunteer for Surfrider Florida Keys.
I have more than 20 years of training in a variety of dance styles, making me a skilled underwater model and performer. I also have 20 years of diving experience. I’m a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, PADI Advanced Freediver Instructor, and PADI Mermaid Instructor.
I’m the acting Secretary for the USA Freediving Board of Directors, as well as competition safety diver for Freediving competitions.
With these skills, I can safely perform in open water and confined water environments using both breath-hold diving and surface supply (scuba) systems.
My company, Deep Blue Aquatics, not only provides exceptional mermaid entertainment but also offers personalized dive instruction, aquatic safety workshops, and life-saving certification courses.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love South Florida and the Florida Keys! The Florida Keys have always felt like my second home since the first time I dove down here with my dad at age 13. I love the small-town feel and the sense of community. Miami is a little busy for my tastes (and the traffic, my goodness), but I love the diversity and vibrancy that radiates from every street corner.
Because of the love I have for this area and the wonderful waterways that surround it, I find it heartbreaking to see the amount of pollution and damage occuring to the ecosystems. Most is a direct result of human interaction and impact. During our cruise north, we travelled ocean-side through Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. For four hours, all I saw was Carribean blue water littered with discarded bait boxes, water bottles, wayward nets, and other rubbish.
When I’m under the water guiding or exploring my favorite sites, I see the health of the reefs declining. It looks drastically different than when I was a teenager. Sections of the reef that were once teeming with life, seem to be completely deserted. Target species for spearfishing charters are less plentiful and most are undersized due to over-fishing and poor fishing practices. My hope is that through my career and through my involvement with Surfrider Florida Keys, I can help educate locals and tourists alike about creating a more symbiotic relationship with the South Florida ecosystems. And, that ultimately, the beauty and life of these waters will contiue for generations to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.deepbluemermaid.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/deepblue.mermaid
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deepbluemermaidsc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@deepblue.aquatics
Image Credits
Jessica Bailey Photography
Capps Captures
