Raina and Sean
Mermaid Raina Norman - Co-Owner, Former Lead Mermaid and Founder of Halifax Mermaids, Current founder of "Canadian mermaids Inc".
Raina is the founder and previous head performer of Halifax Mermaids. Halifax Mermaids operated from 2010 until 2024 in Halifax. When the local economy shifted greatly after the pandemic, and pools became unavailable, Raina pivoted her focus to a successful Youtube.
Raina's current focus is content creation and influencing through Youtube and social media. Raina also coaches and counsels others in the way of mermaiding. Providing online courses and mentorship.
She holds PADI Freediving and PADI Advanced Mermaid certification, as well as a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Child and Youth Development and a Bachelor of Education.
Raina founded Halifax Mermaids to merge her passions for the ocean, the arts, and education. The journey of creating and running this company helped her overcome numerous challenges and achieve her wildest dreams. Continuing that dream through Youtube has allowed Raina to provide inspiration to all of her 600,000+ subscribers.
Raina has had many memorable experiences with Halifax Mermaids, including filming for music videos such as "Titanically" by Heather Rankin, acting and consulting in films, swimming with sharks and manatees, founding a local freediving group and pushing her breath hold to 3 minutes, and traveling to countries like Mexico. Her most recent achievement is reaching 100,000+ subscribers on YouTube with her mermaid videos and receiving the Silver Play award.
Raina is also a mother and advocates for creating a supportive environment for mothers to perform. Children of the merfolk have always been welcomed and included. She has published three books about her mermaid experiences, to help others in the field.
Raina's primary goal with Halifax Mermaids is to spread inspiration through performances and outreach efforts. Whether it's appearing in a tank on the Halifax Waterfront, swimming in an aquarium or pool, teaching a child to swim, or making a YouTube video, Raina gives her all in every aspect of the business.
Sean Norman - Co-Owner and Founder
Sean is the co-founder of Halifax Mermaids and is responsible for being the "Merwrangler." He provides support to the merfolk while they are in costume and cannot perform certain tasks. With a background in entrepreneurship and human resources, Sean is also the IT expert at Halifax Mermaids. He is skilled in underwater photography, videography, and video editing.
Aside from his work at Halifax Mermaids, Sean is a certified PADI freediver with a breath hold of 2 minutes. He has facilitated events globally, offered consulting services for other "Merwranglers," and has played a crucial role in keeping the merfolk safe during events and underwater.
As a dedicated supporter, Sean works tirelessly behind the scenes to contribute to the success of Halifax Mermaids and help create a proud legacy. He is also a proud father and a loving cat parent.