Mer-divers

I’m Anna Tomppo, Finland’s first certified mermaid diving instructor. Since January 2023, I’ve been teaching PADI Mermaid courses and have already issued over 50 diving certifications, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. With over a decade of scuba and freediving experience around the world, I bring both passion and expertise to the courses I teach. I’m also an Emergency First Response first aid instructor and a specialist dentist in oral and maxillofacial surgery.

It might surprise you, but before I started diving, I couldn’t dive a single meter and was terrified of putting my face underwater. The beauty of the underwater world enticed me to work on my fears. Mermaid diving, in particular, has taught me how to feel confident and graceful beneath the surface.

As an instructor, my top priority is creating a welcoming and safe environment for my students. It’s incredible what people can achieve when they’re given the right tools. Up-to-date information, personalized guidance and encouragement translate into long dives, smooth movements and confident divers.

Underwater photography has been a long-standing passion of mine. While I initially learned from books, I’ve also trained twice under the world-renowned Alex Mustard. I’ve studied portrait photography and model direction with experts like Lindsay Adler in the Netherlands. These days, my focus is on underwater portraits, some of which have been featured in magazines in Finland and abroad.

At Mer-divers, my mission is to bring a little fantasy into everyday life and promote safe mermaid diving culture and practises. At the Finnish Divers’ Federation, I contributed as an expert to drafting national guidelines for organizing and ensuring safety in mermaid diving in 2023–2024.

Welcome to the magical world of mermaid diving! See you beneath the surface!